Lost Cause
by suavespanol
Summary: Nashi Dragneel has one dream: To become the strongest mage in Fairy Tail. But her dream is hard to achieve when lacks a special skill that everyone in Fairy Tail has. Maybe training with a treasure hunter can help or maybe it'll be the reason she's in danger [ T for language; Includes children from pairings: NaLu, Gruvia, Jerza, Miraxus, GaLe ] (Spoilers from recent manga chapters)
1. Chapter 1

**O N E**

* * *

Nashi watches with envy as she stares at her guildmates competing in the Grand Magic Games. Almost every year, they've managed to always come out number one and win money only to spend it on more drinks at the guild. Although, it still gave everyone a sense of accomplishment to come out on top of everyone else. Nashi just wished that she could be chosen to participate with her guildmates fighting right now.

Ever since the moment that Nashi was born, everyone knew something was certainly strange about her. She wasn't immune to fire and in fact got burned very easily by anything hot. She also couldn't hold the celestial keys right enough to summon a spirit that Lucy bought at a mage store. She also wasn't strong. She never cried from too much pain from her guildmates, but one time, Storm was being rough with her older brother again as always and a chunk of his ice came barreling at her face and would've killed her if Wendy didn't have healing magic.

Lucy decided it would be best to bring her to Porlyusica to have her body checked. After a long time of testing her, she finally figured out the theory she was basing her tests on.

Nashi wasn't a mage.

To an ordinary human, it'd seem likely and maybe even relieving to know this, but Nashi felt like a bird without her wings. Here she was in a guild full of people with extraordinary magic while being weaker than a feather. She was the exact opposite of her parents and brother. Nashi was weak.

After the guild heard the news, some tried to convince her that it didn't matter. "You can still be stronger than everyone in the guild" or "You're still powerful", but she knew they just _pitied_ her. Dear Mavis does she ever hate that word so much.

So here she sat up front and center in the stands at the age of 17 still without magic wishing for a chance to compete. She knew her dreams were probably hopeless as she'd get beaten up in a second, but Nashi wanted to have fun. She wanted to prove to her parents that she wasn't useless.

These past few months, she's been training with herself to make herself stronger. Sure, she may not have magic, but she's been practicing with Erza's old swords that she's found wandering around. She's also been working on her punches and kicks. She's stronger than she was years ago when she'd break down at the sight of her guild mark on her right hand just like her mom. Nashi may be weak, but she's for sure stronger than anyone would ever imagine from a mage without magic.

She sighed as she imagined herself instead of her brother with her [Erza's old] sword instead of his fire swinging at the opponent and making him/her look at her with fear. She wanted to prove herself to everyone. She wanted to be strong.

"Luke Dragneel has now managed to beat down his opponent in just a few seconds!", the reporter says on the wide screen lacrima with enthusiasm.

"That's my boy!", Natsu yells with a grin making everyone else including Nashi to cheer for Luke.

"How are you, Nashi," Lucy asks as she walks over to where Nashi is sitting.

Nashi rolls her eyes. Lucy started to constantly ask her how she was after they found out about her being powerless seven years ago. She hated how her mom saw her just like everyone else in the guild: Fragile and weak.

"I'm fine, Mom. Now get out of my way," Nashi waves her off, "Nova is about to start."

Lucy sighs before sitting next to Nashi.

Nashi continues to watch in amazement as Nova defeats her enemy in the same amount of time of Luke- maybe less.

"And there we go with the day ending in Fairy Tail taking the lead. Will they continue to win or will someone be able to take the Fairies down starting with their tail? My name is Mason, and I'll see you tomorrow," the lacrima disappears, and everyone stands up to leave.

"It doesn't surprise me that we're in the lead again as always," Natsu says.

"You shouldn't jinx yourself, Natsu," Gray sighs.

"What the hell is a jinx?", Natsu asks with a brow raised.

"Don't cuss around children," Lucy mutters at Natsu.

Nashi scans the room for any children until she realizes who Lucy was talking about. "I'm not a kid, Mom. I'm 17. I've heard worse from Dad," Nashi rolls her eyes again.

"I just don't want your mouth to be as filthy as Natsu's," Lucy sighs.

"Like at night when we-", Lucy quickly covers his mouth with a blush, and Nashi gags.

"Okay, I was wrong. That's the worst thing I've heard from Dad," Nashi cringes.

"That was uncalled for," Erza scolds Natsu.

"S-Sorry, Erza," Natsu quickly apologizes making Nashi laugh.

"The only reason you defeated your opponent faster than mine is because I had a harder enemy," Nashi can hear Luke's voice from a few feet away in the large crowd.

"It's okay to be weaker than me, Luke," Nova giggles beside him.

Nashi continues to trail behind her parents eavesdropping on her guildmates' conversation.

"Or weaker than everyone in the guild," Storm snickers from behind.

"Shut up, Snow-head! You were slower than Nova and me combined," Luke yells loudly.

"No way in hell was I slower than that, Smokey-breath!", Storm defends loudly.

"There's Nashi. We'll just ask her," Luke says before his footsteps grow louder and louder to Nashi as he comes closer.

"Who was faster? Me or Storm?", Luke asks.

"You were-"

"Aha!", Luke grins.

"-but your opponent was really weak compared to Storm's," Nashi shrugs.

She spots Storm smirking while Luke glares at her. "Whatever," he huffs.

"Sore loser," Storm coughs out.

"You were still slower than me, so you can't call me a loser, Idiot," Luke mutters beside Nashi.

"But I still defeated someone stronger than me," Storm points out.

They continue with their arguing which makes Nashi sigh. She never understood why they had to take after their Dads with the fighting. They were always competing against each other to prove who was stronger. Sometimes she wished she had a rival like that no matter how weird of a wish it was. At least there'd be one person to accept her as a good enough challenge rather than the fragile weak person who couldn't fight.

"What are you both doing?", Rosemary asks with a scary look on her face. She was just as scary as her mother.

"N-Nothing," Storm and Luke both stammer out.

Rosemary gives Nashi a questioning look which she returns with a mere shrug of the shoulders.

She gives a quick karate chop to both of their heads before turning to her brother, Reiki. They were both twins with matching red hair except the brother had a blue birthmark over his right eye. He tended to keep to his self more than the raging Rosemary.

Storm and Luke both groan which makes Nashi burst out laughing at how they act differently around Rosemary.

* * *

Nashi lays in her hotel room in boredom. She wasn't exactly tired and felt full of energy. Normally when she felt this way, she'd sneak out of the house and train by herself far into the woods, but at the moment, she's in a hotel in Fiore next to her parents' room.

But since when has these things stopped her from sneaking out?

She always found a way to vent her feelings out by fighting. Even if she didn't have magic, she felt like she was a good fighter using her bare fists and kicks. Fighting allowed her to release her emotions in a way nothing else could.

She gets dressed in her usual outfit of a dark red vest with gold trimming forming a "t" shape on her chest, baggy white shorts tied with thin rope, and sandals. She grabs her special white scarf that her mom knitted for her when she was a baby and wraps it around her neck.

She then opens her hotel window and peers down. To her, it looks as if she's on the second floor. She crawls out and lands on her feet once she jumps down to the hard concrete. After that, she gives her limbs a quick stretch before walking around the empty city to find an area to train at.

She sighed once she realizes that she forgot the sword that she brought from home. She'll just have to give her legs a workout.

She continues strolling down the street shivering slightly at the cold of the night. It certainly seemed different at night. The city looked so dark and empty at night while being so lively and bright during the day. Normally, people would be hustling around the busy city of flowers. Nashi liked it better during the night. It was peaceful.

She ends up in the woods behind the castle and grins. She practices her high kicks, low kicks, and middle kicks. Then, she moves on to her punches. After being done with those, she climbs up the tree and jumps down. She climbs up the tree once again before jumping off and repeating the process. Trees give great workouts.

By the time that she finished, she was sweating and panting from out of breath. She hated how she seemed to lack so much energy no matter how much she practiced and practiced. It wasn't like she never slept or ate healthy foods. She was probably healthier than everyone in her guild due to their drinking habits and eating large amounts of food. She couldn't understand how they managed to last for so long. Nashi tried everything, but they barely had to try to beat her for something.

She sighs in disappointment. She just needs to sleep, and she'll feel better tomorrow.

"Why is a young lady like you doing out at a time like this," a deep voice says behind her.

Nashi turns around and replies, "Just got bored."

She stares the man who looks about 20 and drunk. He's staggering with his movements and slurring with his speech.

"If you're bored, how about I give you a grand ol' time," he smirks.

"Not interested," she says as she tries to walk away, but he grabs her wrist.

"Are you sure," he grips her wrist tighter when she tries to pull his hand off.

"I'm very sure, asshole," she kicks his crotch.

He winces in pain but keeps his deathly grip on Nashi, "You bitch!" His hand comes up to give a slap, but her reflexes are quick. Her other free hand catches his wrist.

"You chose the wrong person to mess with," she glares at him and flips him over her back. He falls to the ground with a groan before getting up to walk away. Nashi sure did sober him up.

She walks the rest of the way to the hotel with a sense of accomplishment. That would officially be the first opponent she's ever taken down to the ground. In fact, she wanted to share the news with anyone, but everyone was currently in bed doing the one thing she should be doing: sleeping.

Once reaching the tall building, she climbs up the wall, easier said than done, to her hotel room. She scolds herself for forgetting to close the window as she reaches inside her room. Remembering that she's drenched with sweat, Nashi sighs because she knows she can't take a shower. Someone may wake up from the noise, so she decides to just sleep while feeling dirty.

She quickly changes back into her pajamas before taking her scarf off and draping it around her bed frame. Nashi slides into her comfortable bed and closes her eyes leaving her to dream about fighting and being the strongest mage in Fairy Tail.

If only dreams could be reality...

* * *

Natsu & Lucy:  
* Nashi  
* Luke

Gray & Juvia:  
* Storm

Erza & Jellal:  
* Rosemary  
* Reiki

Mira & Laxus:  
* Nova


	2. Chapter 2

**T W O**

* * *

Nashi finds herself in the same familiar spot as the day before at the Grand Magic Games. Everyone is talking loud in the crowds. Each guild or fan wave their guild mark flag around eagerly. The T.V. lacrima has formed in the center of the stadium, but Mason hasn't appeared yet.

Nashi really couldn't wait to see today's competition activities. They'd be going against one person from each guild altogether rather than one opponent. Although, they still had to finish up the last three fights since they ran out of time the day before. Reiki would be going first. Next would be Roxy. Nashi and Roxy actually used to be very close because their Moms are best friends, but she stopped seeing her as often when Roxy took more jobs.

She smiles and sighs in content at the nice cool air. It felt nice that day. Certainly better than the day before. Although, she was still full of energy like she drank 100 cups of coffee. No worries, she didn't. Her legs constantly shuffled on the ground with excitement to watch more fights.

She heard some hurried steps behind her and turns. Luke and Rosemary are there asking where Roxy is. They walk up to Nashi.

"Do you know where Roxy is?", Rosemary asks.

"No, sorry," Nashi shakes her head.

"Damnit! Where is she?", Luke curses.

"Don't worry, Luke. I'm sure she'll show up some time," Nashi reassures.

"The games are about to start in less than a minute, Nashi," he groans.

"What...", she hesitates to wonder if it's the right thing to say. Should she? It's one thing she's wanted besides magic. "What if I fill in... for her," Nashi suggests.

"Look, Nashi-"

She cuts him off, "I have been training myself. It's not like I'll be a total fish out of water."

"But these are the Grand Magic Games. You don't have magic, Nashi," Luke sighs.

"I looked through the rules, and it doesn't rule anything out about people without magic," Nashi shrugs.

"I don't want you to get hurt," he frowns.

Rosemary decides to talk, "Those other people from those guilds can be just as strong as us maybe stronger. It may not appear to be the case, but even we have a tough time defeating them."

"Then I'll do what you guys always do. I'll keep fighting for the guild. I won't go down as long as I'm there," Nashi says confidently.

"But that's the thing, Nashi. You don't have magic like us. It might be near impossible for you to win," Luke's voice starts getting louder.

"I know I can't use magic, Luke! You don't have to keep reminding me! I get it!", Nashi says loudly back before quickly pausing and trying to hold back from blowing a fuse. "I just want you to give me a chance," Nashi says with a more quiet voice when she realizes a few of her guildmates heard them arguing.

"What about Mom and Dad-"

"They won't be mad when I win," Nashi says just as Mason comes onto the lacrima. Luke gives an unsure look but nods.

Luke, Rosemary, and Nashi all walk to the arena entrance where Reiki is stretching.

"Good morning to you all! Looks like we get to see Fairy Tail compete against their biggest rival Sabertooth!", Mason says loudly causing the crowds to cheer in excitement.

While Sabertooth and Fairy Tail were on friendly terms, they'd still get very competitive during the Grand Magic Games. Sabertooth often found it disappointing when they came second to Fairy Tail almost every year. One time they won when Fairy Tail wasn't able to compete that year. Nashi didn't know what happened that many years ago, but she definitely knew that those her guild's dark ages. Her mom told her that the core members of Fairy Tail disappeared for seven years leaving it to be taken advantage by a horrible guild.

Rosemary walks up to Reiki and nods without saying a word. Reiki just nods back as if they were both speaking in each other's mind. Nashi sometimes believed that they could because they are twins. They seem to have a special connection.

Nashi watches as Reiki walks out into the arena leaving dust trailing behind him. Reiki comes face to face with Spark Eucliffe.

"Now here we have the sweet but deadly Spark Eucliffe against the quiet but for certain to blow our minds, Reiki Fernandez. Who will win?", Mason says to set everyone into the fighting mood.

"I'll be back in a few moments," Luke says, and Nashi nods absentmindedly.

She watches as a ray of light comes to pierce Reiki in the stomach, but he swiftly dodges and throws a little chant to her which causes the wind to blow her off her feet before she gets back onto her feet.

"Do you seriously think that would hurt me?", Spark asks with her long light blonde hair waving in the wind.

Reiki stays silent and chants out another spell which throws a few purple spikes at her. She quickly moves to the side avoiding the attack and glares at him. "At least answer a girl when she asks a question, jerk!", she yells and gives Reiki a kick to the leg. But before it reaches him, he grabs her leg and throws her to the ground.

Nashi can barely hear it over the roaring crowds, but Reiki says to her, "Sorry for being an ass then," before keeping her on the ground and chanting another spell that forms purple smokes over her body and settles into her. Spark instantly seems to have fatigue taken over her and lays on the ground defeated in just a few minutes.

"Amazing! There we have the victorious Reiki giving one point to Fairy Tail!", Mason says.

Everyone whoops and hollers for Reiki. Nashi finds it funny as he continues with his frowning. He's never shown too much emotion or even talked except rare occasions. Rosemary hugs him when he walks back.

"Good job, Rei!" Rosemary smiles.

Nashi watches as another sabertooth guildmate comes out to pick up Spark and take her back to his side. He gives Nashi a harsh glare causing her to flinch and gulp. Nashi looks away and noticing Luke finally coming back from wherever he went to.

"Finally, you're back. Where were you?", Nashi asked.

"The bathroom," he replies instantly. Nashi gives a questioning look and he opens his mouth again, "Beans don't go down without a fight."

Nashi instantly cringes but sighs once she looks out into the arena. Reiki made fighting look so easy.

"Fairy Tail is in the lead with 10 points!", Mason announces.

"So are you all set?", Luke asks.

"Well, actually. Rosemary, could I borrow a sword?", Nashi asks.

Rosemary equips a sword and hands it over to Nashi. It surprises both Rosemary and Luke that she holds it firmly in her hand without it wobbling. She notices their looks and rolls her eyes. "I've been training with Erza's old sword," Nashi explains.

"The one she threw away?", Rosemary asked.

"Yup. I sharpened it and polished it up to make it usable again," Nashi grins.

"Where do you train?", Luke asks.

"Secret," Nashi answers with a shrug.

"Here we have Fairy Tail again fighting against Blue Pegasus!", Mason announces.

Nashi starts getting nerves, and Luke pats her back. "You got this," he smiles.

Nashi smiles back with the biggest smile she's ever made in her life. She steps out into the arena holding Rosemary's sword over her shoulder. _You got this._ She could do it.

"Nashi?!", she hears her dad shriek from the stands. She looks up at Natsu and waves. Lucy looks at her with horror and shock.

"Could it be the magic-less mage, Nashi Dragneel, standing here in this arena at this moment?", Mason says after a little moment of shock his self.

Nashi starts biting her lips with the anxiety of fighting. There's no way she could back out now.

"Here is the charming Ashton Lates against the unknown Nashi Dragneel," Mason announces just as Ashton decides to show up in front of her.

Immediately, Nashi notices that he looks familiar. He peers back with the same confused expression as Nashi. "I know you!", they say in unison.

"I can't believe that Mason could call you charming if last night that was the way you pick up girls," Nashi scoffs.

"I was drunk, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have violated you like that," he apologizes.

"Shut up," she mutters.

"Get on with the fight already," someone in the stands yells.

Nashi braces for herself when he launches small missiles at her. She easily dodges them by a cut of the sword. She swings her sword toward his torso, but he also dodges the sharp blade. He fires more missiles at her feet, but she jumps high above them and sends a kick to his face. He stumbles a bit, but Nashi doesn't waste time to swing her sword at his arm.

 _You got this._

He catches the sword with his hand and tries to flip her over his shoulder, but Nashi yanks the sharp sword into his hand which makes him release and show a cut alongside his palm. He fires more missiles over her entire body, but she cuts through all of them except two which hit her arm. She frowns when she figures out that they don't hurt.

Could it be that he's some illusion mage? But why would he compete if he knew his attack could do no damage?

He takes her by surprise with a fist in the should, but because she was standing firmly with her left leg behind her right, her shoulder took the blow without her falling. Nashi comes out if her thoughts and sprints beside him with his sword. She makes a quick cut on his abdomen which makes him fall and the crowds start roaring. She waits for him to get back up but is surprised when he doesn't.

 _Did I actually win this?_

She takes a long look at him to realize he's panting and reeks of sweat. He must be tired and hung over from being drunk last night. Her head absentmindedly looks at where her guildmates are, and they are all cheering for her.

Is this just a dream?

Nashi is in her own phase of shock, and she turns to walk back to the entrance.

"The unknown Nashi Dragneel has beaten the charming Ashton Lates! Seems like nothing can stop Fairy Tail!", Mason yells.

"You did it, Nashi!", Rosemary hugs her and takes back the sword.

"I can't believe it," Nashi muttered. All of her training did her good.

Reiki sends a small smile to her which makes her smile widely back.

Nashi looks a Luke who stands there deep in thought. "What's wrong," Nashi frowns in concern.

"Oh, it's nothing. Good job," he hugs her.

"So have you guys found Roxy yet?", Nashi asks.

"I called her mom, and she said she was hung over from drinking so much," Rosemary sighs.

Roxy also had a very bad drinking problem like Cana. Although, sometimes even worse. She's managed to beat Cana in drinking while no one else could. It was a talent of hers.

"Of course," Nashi sighs.

* * *

Once day three is finished with Fairy Tail still in the lead, Nashi gets up to leave the entrance area of the stadium but pauses once spotting Luke.

"1000 jewel?", Luke mutters angrily.

"She was such an easy opponent that I had to actually use my missile illusions. She's a lost cause," Nashi hears Ashton's voice. She immediately sits in the ground and covers her face feeling betrayed, angry, sad, embarrassed, and so many more emotions. Ashton's harsh voice rings in her ears.

 _She's a lost cause._

"Fine," Luke hands over the 1000 jewel and sighs.

She hears footsteps near her, but she doesn't bother to run away. Nashi doesn't want to do anything except ball up and cry. If she that weak that her own brother had to cheat to make sure she wouldn't die.

The footsteps stop at a certain point, and Luke groans aloud. "Nashi..."

"I thought you believed in me," Nashi's small laugh is mixed with a sob. "Now I know that you had to cheat to make sure I wouldn't die. Maybe that's why you knew I would win."

"I freaked out, alright!", Luke yells with anger. "You're my only sister, and you're important to me. I didn't want you to get hurt."

"I wouldn't have died," Nashi mutters. "I'm so tired of the guild treating me like this weak and fragile glass. Drop me. I may fall, but I don't shatter," Nashi gets up from the ground and wipes her eyes.

"What are you doing?", Luke frowned.

"Tell the guild that I'm leaving. Don't bother finding me," Nashi turns to walk away but Luke grips her wrist tightly. "Let go, Luke."

"You can't leave," Luke says desperately.

"You only say that because you'll get in trouble. Just say I went to go train because I need to improve my battling skills. You won't get in trouble," Nashi tries to yank her wrist out of his hold.

"No, that's not why. I couldn't care less about getting in trouble, Nashi. The guild needs you! You're important whether you think so or not," Luke yells at her.

"All I'm good for is passing out drinks! I can't do a single thing! I'm useless! This is why I wanted to prove to everyone that I'm strong too! But then you do this and ruin my chances! I...", she shakes with anger, "I hate you!"

Luke is taken aback by her true feelings showing through.

"Nashi-"

She yanks her wrist out of his hand. "The worst thing about betrayal is that it comes from the people you trust the most," she whispers.

"Please just-"

"Stop talking and go away. Stay away from me forever. I hate you," Nashi whispers at him.

Luke's face stares at the ground, and he wipes his eyes.

Nashi turns to leave without a single goodbye. Maybe she needed this. She needed to explore the world and become free from the cage of her guild. Nashi needed to leave.

So why does she feel like she's tearing half her heart?

* * *

Gajeel & Levy:  
* Roxy

Sting & Yukino:  
* Spark

Hibiki & Jenny:  
* Ashton


	3. Chapter 3

**E**

* * *

Nashi runs. She runs as fast as she can hoping that if she leaves soon enough, no one will find her. People stare at her with confusion and curiosity as she passes by with her long legs moving swiftly through the city. They recognized her from the Grand Magic Games but don't bother her which is something that Nashi is thankful for. She doesn't want to deal with any more people. After just a few minutes, she's already left the city a few miles ago and slows down in a forest, but the thought of her coming back to Fairy Tail as the strongest mage keeps her moving faster than before.

She will not stop until her legs can't move, and they still have a lot to go. Nashi keeps a good rhythm with her legs using the music of her feet as a distraction against what happened at the Grand Magic Games. She still couldn't believe that her own brother cheated her out like that. Sure, he may have been worried, but that was a violation of the rules. She couldn't stay. At least not at the grand magic games. She didn't even bother going to the hotel before running. She just wanted to move forward.

Fairy Tail is her home. It's the place where she was born and raised in by her loving parents and guildmates. She learned so much from everyone, and it would forever hold a special place in her heart.

But she needed a break from her safety place. Sometimes, her home was so kind and lovely that it protected her too much from the reality of the world. She figured that this could be the only way to learn more. They kept her tied down because they didn't want her to get hurt, but she needed to leave. She wanted her own adventure.

So that's what keeps her going like the movement of a clock. Step after step after step. She pushes herself until she ends up in a new village slightly similar to Magnolia, but instead of the large Fairy Tail guild, there's a dock where a large ship was floating in the water.

Her legs finally give out causing her to sit at a tree to catch her breath. Where is she? She's never been anywhere outside of Magnolia besides Crocus. She's read many research books about different places. Maybe if she could remember those places... Oh yeah, Nashi has the worst memory. That won't work. She tries to stand up, but her legs won't work with her.

"Damnit, Nashi! Just get yourself up already!", Nashi curses at herself.

A drop of water falls onto Nashi's head, and she sighs as she looks up at the cloudy sky.

Was it just her or did it seem like she always had bad luck?

She soon grows tired after many failed attempts and sighs. Her eyes close despite the nagging of her brain warning her that sleeping would not be safe in an unknown area. Nashi is too tired to listen and pulls her scarf tighter to herself to keep her warm despite it being soaked in water. Sleeping by a tree in the rain is better than staying up all night thinking about the Grand Magic Games. She'd rather get sick than cry all over again.

* * *

"I still can't believe you just took some random girl home!", a voice speaks with disbelief.

"What else was I supposed to do? Leave her out in the rain to get sick?", another voice asks.

"Maybe she wanted to sleep in the rain!", the first voice speaks again.

"Yeah because sleeping in the rain is a normal thing," the second voice sarcastically says.

"People are different. You just need to let them do their own thing," the first voice points out.

"Shut up!", Nashi yells as she sits up in her bed. She holds her head because of a headache grown from the two voices arguing. She looks at her bed and frowns. Her sheets aren't blue and white... and her walls aren't gray... and why are there two guys in the room? "What..."

"Uh... Hi?", she recognizes the second voice. Her light brown eyes snap up to meet with intense green ones. A guy about her age stood in front of her with a look of concern. He awkwardly scratches the back of his neck making Nashi raise a brow at his dark gray hair despite her own hair being a weird salmon color. It puzzled her how the person who looked about her age could seem so serious. He was almost scary.

"I'm so lost...", Nashi mumbles.

"Me too," the first voice says with honesty. Nashi's then trail over the other person. He's shorter than the first guy, and his brown hair is cut short. His eyes look more friendly with a touch of boredom laced into them.

"Can we just start off with how the hell I got here?", Nashi asks looking back at the other person.

"I should probably explain that," the gray-haired boy nods, "I found you were sleeping in the rain...", the gray-haired boy's voice trails off as the memories of the Grand Magic Games come flooding back to her. She can't focus on what he says as she remembers what happened.

 _You got this_

 _You got this_

 _You got this_

Bullshit

"Hello? Are you okay?", a voice pulls her out of her thoughts, and she blinks at a pair of green eyes. Her eyes feel like crying all over again, but she sucks it up.

"Sorry, just thinking," Nashi shakes her head. She notices that the other person is gone.

As if reading her mind, he answers her unsaid question, "He gets bored easily."

"Is he your brother?", Nashi asks.

His eyes instantly become hard, and Nashi regrets asking the question.

 _Family must be a hard topic for him_

"Kind of," he answers absentmindedly.

"What's your name?", Nashi asks to change the topic.

"Grisam," he answers. "Yours?"

"Nashi," she says.

"Nice name," he compliments.

"Uh, thanks," Nashi gives a small smile.

"Are you okay? Why were you out in the rain yesterday?", Grisam asks.

"I like to sleep in the rain," Nashi answers with a small laugh.

Grisam gives Nashi a look of disbelief.

"It's a long story...", Nashi trails off wanting to change the topic.

"I have the time to listen," he says while giving Nashi an intense look with his eyes. It was as if Grisam was silently telling her that she could trust him.

Nashi gives a small huff before nodding, "Okay, well it started off when..." She vents to the stranger named Grisam while he sits there listening and not interrupting. Surprisingly, she feels better after admitting her true feelings towards everything that happened. Maybe Nashi should be questioning why she's telling all of this personal information to a person she's only just started talking to a few minutes ago, but she just can't seem to care.

Once finished, Grisam speaks, "I can help train you."

"You can?", Nashi asks surprised.

"I'm in the treasure hunting guild: Sylph Labyrinth," Grisam shows the guild mark on his arm.

"Wow! That's the strongest treasure hunting guild," Nashi acknowledges.

"Says the person in the Fairy Tail guild," Grisam laughs.

"Yeah, but you can't use magic, and you're still strong," Nashi points out.

"Would you like to come to the guild?", Grisam offers.

"Sure!", Nashi accepts excitedly. She jumps out of the bed only to realize something's missing. Her scarf is gone. She instantly goes into panic mode and checks around the bedroom.

The scarf was important to her because it would remind her that no matter what, her family was always there with her.

She instantly goes into panic mode and checks around the bedroom.

"What are you doing?", Grisam asks curiously.

"My scarf!", she answers.

"I was just drying it after it stopped raining because it was soaked with water," he walks to his window and retrieves her scarf from outside. He hands it to her, and she wraps it around her neck.

"Sorry, it's just very important to me," Nashi's face turns red with embarrassment.

"It's fine," Grisam shrugs. "I understand having something important to you," he shows Nashi a necklace which is in a shape of a hand.

"Why is it important to you?", Nashi asks.

"It was my grandpa's," he answers vaguely and gives her his own questioning look.

"My mom made it for me, and I guess I took the habit of wearing it always like my dad," Nashi shrugs.

"Oh yeah, Natsu Dragneel is your dad. I keep forgetting," he grins, "He is always wearing a scarf."

"His dad, Igneel, gave it to him," Nashi spoke.

"But wasn't Igneel a dragon?", Grisam asks.

"It's made of his scales," Nashi said.

"Oh okay," he nods and pauses to think before asking, "Are you ready to go?"

She nods her head.

"Alright," Grisam says.

* * *

They make their way out of the house with Grisam's "kinda" brother trailing behind. Nashi becomes amazed by everything she sees around her. She takes in the smell of fish being cooked inside restaurants, and the many people hustling around with their caught fish.

"This is the city of Hargeon where everyone is obsessed with fish," Grisam says to Nashi.

"It smells delicious, though," she points to the restaurant beside her.

Grisam tries to sniff out anything but shrugs to his self.

"What's your name?", Grisam's "kinda" brother asks.

"Nashi," she says.

"I'm Creston," he introduces.

"Nice to meet you, Creston," Nashi gives a smile.

"So how did you end up here sleeping in the rain?", Creston asks.

"I'll tell you some other time," Nashi shrugs deciding that telling her life story all over again on the street wouldn't be fun.

They continue their way down the streets until they up at a building somewhat similar to the Fairy Tail guild except smaller and more subtle to the town of Hargeon. Grisam opens the door and allows Nashi to walk in first with Creston behind and him last. Nashi widens her eyes at how different it was than her own guild. There was a bar but instead, in the center of the guild, it was on the right side. The other wall was filled with fighting gadgets such as swords, guns, and so much more. The center wall has job requests for missing treasure or to find new treasure.

"Wow," Nashi says in amazement.

"I'm gonna take it that you like the guild," Grisam gives a small chuckle.

"Yeah. It's different," Nashi nods her head.

Nashi follows Grisam as he walks towards one of the many tables and sits. He gestures for Nashi to sit down, and she hesitantly sits. She felt out of place being in the guild which made sense because she is not used to places like a treasure hunting guild.

"Hey Grisam," a girl who looks a few years older than Grisam greets him. Her head turns to Nashi, and she looks at her onyx eyes. "What's your name?", she asks.

"Nashi," she answers.

"Lily," she says. Nashi refrains from cocking a brow at that name. She wasn't a judgemental person, but the name, Lily, didn't seem to fit her at all. She had multiple piercings which reminded her of one of her guildmates, Gajeel Redfox. Tattoos covered her body and black seemed to be the theme of her clothing.

"Nice to meet you," Nashi smiles.

"So what brings you here with _grumpy_ Grisam?", Lily asks with a grin when Grisam starts complaining about her nickname for him.

"He said that he can help me train," Nashi shrugs.

Lily gives him a confused expression, and he sends back another expression as if to say, 'I'll explain later' which Nashi shrugs at.

"Well, if you need any help, I'll be here," she says.

"Thank you," Nashi says gratefully.

Grisam gives her a tour of the guild, and Nashi notices how it's not as rowdy as the Fairy Tail guild. Everyone seems to be more serious and coming for the only sore purpose of taking jobs.

He finishes the tour, and Nashi inwardly sighs. She keeps comparing everything to Fairy Tail. She needed to forget for the time being but can't bring herself to do that.

"What's wrong?", Grisam asks.

Nashi shakes her head, "Nothing."

"I almost believed you," Grisam gives a small chuckle.

"It's just... It's just that I can't stop thinking about the guild. Maybe going away was the wrong thing to do," she says.

"But if the guild is keeping you from trying to become stronger because of the fear of you being injured, I think you need to give them a reason to let you fight," Grisam says.

"Yeah, you're right," Nashi nods her head.

"I'm always right," Grisam shrugs with a grin.

"Of course," Nashi laughs.

She supposed that Grisam would be a good influence on her. He treated her as a normal person which is something she's wanted for a long time. Maybe he was the key to the door of opportunity.

* * *

 _OC:_  
 _* Grisam_  
 _* Creston_  
 _* Lily_


	4. Chapter 4

**F O U R**

* * *

It had been _one week_ since Nashi decided to run off from Crocus to Hargeon.

In reality, it wasn't that long, but Nashi felt that she'd been gone for a month. She even started to get used to Hargeon and not miss Fairy Tail as much anymore which might seem like a mean thing to say. But truth is, she started to put extra focus into her training with Grisam.

He ended up being a fantastic mentor/ trainer. Grisam seemed to know everything that would help improve a certain skill or help her learn a new one. He was starting with no gadgets first so that she could become accustomed to using her body but promised they'd start with those in three weeks.

Nashi felt like she owed him a lot. He had let her stay in his home for free seeing as she had no money or a job and trained her. Although, Creston didn't seem to like her at all whenever she came to their house with him around. He'd always frown around her and had the habit of avoiding her which she found strange. She thought that he'd be more friendly than that. Then again, Grisam is also more friendly than she thought he'd be.

So every day, her routine would be to wake up, go for a jog out in the woods, do her warm-up stretches, and start practicing with her body. She memorized the unwritten schedule and made sure to stay with it despite the many times that she hated getting out of bed. She wasn't going to waste her time in the morning. Training was becoming her whole lifestyle.

"49... 50!", Grisam finishes counting as Nashi lands on her feet when she releases the strong branch of the tree. "Good job, _Nash_ '," he praised.

"Thank you, _Gris_ ," Nashi grins. She certainly had grown stronger with her arms. Now she barely broke a sweat while doing arm-ups.

"Now let's do a cool down walk, and we'll be finished," Grisam suggests and starts his way down the forest.

"But we hardly did anything today," Nashi pouts.

"You don't want to overwork your body. You could injure yourself," he explains.

"But-"

He cuts her off with the shake of his head, "No buts."

"Whatever," she mumbles childishly which causes him to give a short chuckle.

"This week was to just get you started. Next week, you'll be breaking a sweat for sure," he nods with certainty.

"Sure," she says with a non-believing tone.

"I don't lie," he rolls his eyes.

"But you do have that whole mysterious aura thing," Nashi shrugs.

"I do?", he asks while cocking a brow.

"Yup," Nashi pops the 'p' and continues walking.

"I can't see that," he shakes his head.

"What do you mean?! You're a walking mystery," Nashi persuades him to agree.

"I am?", he gives a small laugh.

"I bet even scooby-doo couldn't find out your evil schemes," Nashi grins.

"Sure, but then again, they're bad detectives if they have to rely on a running man-child and dog," Grisam shrugs.

"Damn you and your realistic scenery of cartoons," Nashi shakes her head feigning out disappointment.

His hand ruffles with her hair, and the corner of his lips quirk up. "Because you believe whatever cartoons say," he snickers.

"Stop messing with my hair!", Nashi leans away from his touch and sighs, "Everything you hear has to be based on some truth. Even lies."

"I suppose that's somewhat right," Grisam shrugs.

"Of course. _I'm always right_ ," Nashi grins.

"Yeah, totally," Grisam says sarcastically.

"Exactly," Nashi ignores his sarcasm and gives a smirk.

"My, my. You, Nashi, sure are something," Grisam shakes his head.

"Well, I am Nashi Dragneel. Obviously," Nashi says in a 'duh' tone.

"That would explain it," Grisam ruffles her hand once more, and Nashi chooses to endure it and huffs out in irritation.

"Why are you so obsessed with my hair?", Nashi asks with an eye roll.

"I'm still trying to figure out if you're lying when you said that you were born with it pink," Grisam shrugs.

"I don't lie," Nashi folds her arms and glares at Grisam. She hated when anyone messed with her hair, and he seemed to do it the most.

"So you're always right?", Grisam cocks a brow.

"Damn right I am!", Nashi shouts.

"Calm down, Nash," Grisam chuckles.

* * *

"Where the hell are we going?", Nashi asks as they walk side by side each other down the busy streets of Hargeon.

"I was hungry, so I thought that we should go eat at my favorite restaurant," he answers.

"Now, I just feel bad. You're doing all this training for me and letting me stay at your house. How the hell am I gonna owe you everything?", Nashi pouts.

"How about this... You take me to Fairy Tail when you go back," he suggests.

"Are you sure? The guild is a rowdy bunch," Nashi says with uncertainty.

"I've been dealing with the girl named Nashi Dragneel. I'm sure I can handle it," Grisam shrugs.

"But they're different than me. They have magic-"

"When has that stopped you... or even me for the matter? Stop doubting yourself, Nash. I'm not gonna die without a good fight," Grisam grabs hold onto her shoulders and looks at her intensely.

Nashi refuses to meet his eyes, "But what if-"

"Nashi, look at me," he says softly.

She finally looks at him. His green eyes seem to be boring into her soul which made her a little uncomfortable under his gaze.

"You're not acting like that Nashi that I know and-", he stops quickly. He swiftly looks away with a blush and releases her shoulders. They continue to walk side by side.

"And what?", Nashi asks in confusion.

He coughs and answers, "And have trained."

"That's just because whenever I fight, I'm in my element," Nashi grins at the thought.

"Then always act like you're in a battle. Life is a battle; ain't it? You have choices to battle for or even people to fight for. Just stop being so gloomy. That's my job," he says.

"Gloomy? Since when?", Nashi grins.

He gives a pointed look causing Nashi to laugh at his 'grumpy' face.

"Sure, when I first met you, I thought you looked too serious-"

"Really?", he chuckles.

"-But you're a pretty nice guy," she shrugs.

"That's all I get? 'Nice guy'?", he grumbles.

"No, you got ' _pretty_ nice guy'," Nashi grins.

"I'm a guy. I don't wanna be pretty," he mutters.

"Fine! You're an ugly nice guy," Nashi changes.

"Better," he nods.

"I'm glad you think so," Nashi nods back.

They both laugh in unison as they step into the deliciously scented restaurant. Nashi moans at the smell while Grisam cocks a brow at her.

"You must really love fish," he laughs.

"I do. My uncle likes to catch fish every day, and sometimes I join him," Nashi smiles at the memory.

"How's your uncle like?", Grisam asks.

"He's a bit strange...", she trails off.

"Can't be stranger than you," he cheekily says.

Nashi slaps the back of his head and mutters, "Shut up."

"Damn, the training really has been working," Grisam groans as he rubs his head.

"You deserved that," Nashi mutters.

"So how strange can your uncle be?", Grisam asks.

"Considering the fact that he's blue and a cat would be the first step," Nashi shrugs.

"A blue cat?", he asks with surprise.

"He also flies and talks of course," Nashi says.

"You're related to a flying, talking, blue cat?", Grisam cocks a brow.

"Not by blood, but a family doesn't have to be all about related by blood anyway. It's about who you're raised with or who you care for the most," Nashi shrugs.

"I guess that's true," Grisam nods.

"Of course it is. Despite everyone being different and supposedly different at my guild, we always treat everyone with respect and kindness because we're all family," Nashi smiles.

"Do you miss Fairy Tail?", Grisam asks.

"Sometimes. I'm usually always in the guild, but so far, I've enjoyed training with you," Nashi smiles at Grisam.

"Yeah. I've enjoyed it too," Grisam gives a small smile back.

* * *

"That food really filled me up," Nashi pats her belly which feels like it might explode any moment.

"You ate so much fish. I'm surprised how you managed to fit it all inside of you," he says.

"Maybe that's my magic power," Nashi grins.

"Probably is," Grisam agrees.

They end up at Grisam's house, and he unlocks the door. Nashi follows after Grisam and smiles once smelling the familiar place. She never understood why, but the scent was so amazing to her. She loved it. Although, Grisam smelled much better which is part of the reason why it didn't matter if she were hanging out with a guy everyday.

"You're doing that thing again," Grisam says.

"Huh?", Nashi's head snaps to Grisam's direction.

"Can you smell things more than most people?", he asks.

"Hmm... I've never been asked that before, but now that I think about it, I do," Nashi thinks aloud.

"So that's why you're always sniffing everything," Grisam nods in understanding.

"Yeah. I love the smell of your house," she shrugs.

"What?", he asks while cocking a brow.

"You also smell great too," she admits with a nod.

Grisam's face blushes slightly, but Nashi moves to his couch.

"You can't go around saying weird things like that," he mutters.

"I was just talking to you. Don't worry about it," Nashi waves him off and closes her eyes.

"Still, that's-", he's cut off by a snore. "Are you kidding me? Sleeping already in just five seconds? That's gotta be a record."

As if on cue, Creston walks through the front door. "Hey, Grisam."

"Hi," Grisam greets.

"I see that Nashi's sleeping on the couch," Creston leans over to one side to look around Grisam and at Nashi.

"We just went to eat, so that must've tired her up," Grisam shrugs.

"I don't understand why you're letting her stay and now giving her free food!", Creston shakes his head.

"Nashi dying isn't really what I want to happen," Grisam sighs.

"But if the plan doesn't work-"

"It will," Grisam nods firmly.

"Fairy Tail doesn't seem like a place that you'd want to mess with, Grisam," Creston frowns.

"All I have to do is trick them. I'd like to say that I'm a pretty good actor," Grisam gives a smug smile.

"No, you're not. I think that you're actually starting to like Nashi," Creston smirks.

"Why would I like her? I've barely known her for a week, and in the time that I have known her, she's been an idiot," Grisam quickly protests.

"Just know that once Nashi finds out, she'll hate her for a long time," Creston says.

Grisam frowns at the thought of Nashi crying or being pissed at him. He wouldn't like that.

"Whatever! Why would I give a single fuck?", he glares at Creston.

"Calm down. You don't need to be so defensive," Creston mutters.

"Then you need to think before you say," Grisam says.

Creston pauses to think and sighs. "I'm done with you. I'm tired. Good night." He walks towards his room and slams the door shut.

Grisam sits on the chair beside the couch and stares at Nashi. Maybe it seemed kind of a creepy thing to do, but Grisam studied her features. He noticed some drool coming off to the side of her jaw. _Cute..._

 _No! Shut up, Idiot. She's only a tool to get what I really want. There's no way I can screw this up._

But still, he couldn't help but pull a strand of her silky soft hair behind her ear.

 _She's a really deep sleeper._

* * *

 ** _A/N: Thank you_** ** _for the kind reviews (I'm trying to give you all a shout out but the damn 'Doc Manager' thing is being such a bitch asdfghjkl. Sorry, I get frustrated easily.)_**

* * *

 _ **Q:**_ **_So uh how do you guys feel about Grisam now? Positive or Negative?_**


	5. Chapter 5

**F I V E**

* * *

Luke stood frozen in his spot for a few minutes thinking. He knew Nashi was sensitive about the topic of her and magic. Nashi apparently wanted to be just like everyone else with magic in the guild. But Luke, being the over-protective brother he is, wouldn't give her a chance. He was a coward, and _damn_ , he felt guilty.

First, for making the person he cared about the most run away.

Second, for cheating at the Grand Magic Games.

Third, for letting the damn bastard Ashton insult his sister without getting a beating.

Nashi must hate him.

Footsteps neared Luke, but he refused to turn around or look up. He cursed himself for crying like that in front of his rival. Storm would be teasing him endlessly about this.

"Smokey for shit, come on let's go. The whole guild is waiting for you... Ah shit, man. Are you crying?", Luke hears the familiar voice of Storm.

"I screwed up real bad," Luke says while wiping his eyes and trying to look up but his head seemed to be glued down.

"W-What happened?!", Storm stutters as never has he seen his rival/guildmate crying before. Luke, having an ego possibly larger than his dad, never did anything such as crying.

"Nashi ran away," Luke answers. Storm instantly realizes the cause for such a strong reaction. Whenever anyone or anything mentioned Nashi, he seemed to become a whole other person. If anything were to happen to her, he'd lose it.

"What? Why?! I thought she'd be happy for winning and all!", Storm frowns in confusion.

"Because...", Luke pauses, "because I paid Ashton to let her win." He tensed up. Letting his comrade know of such a big mistake made him just feel worse.

"Wha... Luke," Storm frowned at him. Storm knew that Luke might be overprotective of her, but he shouldn't have stooped so low.

"Nashi found out, and she got mad. You know how she gets whenever she gets angry." Luke's fist now has turned white as he clenches it with anger at himself.

Although, Luke is surprised when he falls to the ground with a numb feeling on his cheek.

"Idiot! Why didn't you run after her?!", Storm yells at him with a clenched fist. "You can't cry if you didn't even try!" Storm didn't like Luke acting like this. Crying wouldn't be solving anything.

"I would've, but she hates me," Luke shuts his eyes close hoping to make himself forget the fight.

"Does that matter?! She's your sister! Besides, Nashi could never hate you!", Storm shouts at him.

"Don't lie to me. She told me herself," Luke stares the ground showing no emotion.

"That's because it was in the heat of the moment. You know how emotional girls act like," Storm sighs. "Although, you can get a little more emotional," he says lowly to himself.

"I heard that," Luke mutters. "You shouldn't be saying that when you were crying like a baby after fighting Gab."

"How was I supposed to know he was that strong?!", Storm yells with a glare.

"Kinda stupid how you fought with him over the request paper," Luke snickers.

"He's always taking all of the good ones. Why can't he be more like his dad and just stare at the board?", Storm mutters while ignoring sprinkles of water coming from the sky.

"Maybe if I beat up Gab, I'll technically beat Storm," Luke thinks out loud.

"Hell no," Storm throws some ice at him. "You have to go find Nashi." It's now entirely raining causing the ice to grow a little more after each drop.

"What?", Luke stands up and melts his ice with a flick of a wrist.

"You heard me fire freak," Storm folded his arms.

"I never agreed to that," Luke glares at him.

"Either you go, or Nashi gets hurt," Storm says which causes Luke to flinch at the thought.

"Fine," Luke grumbled.

"Lead the way," Storm says.

"Why?", Luke frowns in confusion.

"Your nose, idiot," Storm answers.

Luke nods in understanding and starts his run after the direction he remembered that Nashi took. Storm follows behind glad that he could run just as fast as his guildmate. It seemed that all instinct in his body told him that Nashi was in danger (probably just the memory of Storm saying so) kept him running as fast as he could manage. Storm almost fell causing Luke to snicker and slow down.

Nashi's scent was still fresh despite the raining of cats and dogs as he dashed through the forest. He used his flames to break through any trees in his way quickly. Storm didn't bother to comment anything about it because when Luke was in that mood, there was no stopping him.

They both stopped at a tree.

"Why did we stop?", Storm asked.

"There's... another scent," Luke clenched his fists again and started running in another direction.

"Why would someone have taken Nashi?", Storm asks furiously.

"I don't know why but the person is going to have some hell to pay!", Luke roars out with fire around him glowing for a few moments before dialing down.

"They won't know who hit them after a fight with me," Storm grins.

* * *

They both stop at a house. The building is average and looks like most every other house around, but the other scent leads up to it.

As Luke is about to crash through the door with Storm, they both stop when they hear a noise. Storm places his ear on the door while Luke listens in from where he is.

"Creston!", a person calls out.

"Hey, Grisam... um... Why are you holding a soaking wet girl in the house?", Creston asks.

"I found her sleeping outside and thought that the guilt of finding out she got sick because I didn't help out didn't sit very well with me," Grisam answers.

"That makes sense," Storm nods.

Luke's fists lit up, "But that bastard-"

"He doesn't want to hurt her, dumbass. Calm down," Storm rolls his eyes.

Luke pauses and sighs. "I just don't trust the guy."

"Why not?", Storm asks.

"He doesn't smell right," Luke mutters.

* * *

"Damn, this food is delicious," Storm says while Luke is stuffing his mouth with everything.

"Twish ish awshome," Luke grins while continuing the motion. (This is awesome)

"Wait, how did we get here? Didn't we need to do something about that Grisam guy," Storm says.

"Yoush mwean gwag?", Luke asks with his mouth full of food. (You mean Greg?)

"Swallow before you speak, stupid," Storm shakes his head.

"His name is Greg," Luke says after a few moments.

"How the hell do you get Greg from Grisam?", Storm sighs.

"His name isn't even Grisam!", Luke yells at him.

"Yes, it is! If your dumb ass were listening, you'd know I'm right," Storm yells gathering the attention of others.

"You wanna fight this out?!", Luke shouts.

"You're on flame for brains!", Storm retorts.

"What did ya call me?", Luke lights a fist.

"Can you two please keep it down. People are trying to eat-"

"Shut it!", Luke and Storm throw a fist in the individual's face.

"What the hell did you just think you did to me?"

Luke and Storm both turn to look at a girl who seemed about twelve years old. Despite having an adorable face, her voice almost sounded satanic.

"S-Sorry ma'am," they say in unison. The girl was scarier than Rosemary and Erza combined.

"No, it's too late for your pathetic apologizing. You two need to be nicer to younger girls," the girl says in a deep voice while keeping on a bright smile on her face which freaked out Luke and Storm. She claps her hands.

The next thing that the three see is a large mass of plains. "I will make you pay," she roars at them.

"We didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry that I made you feel this way," Storm quickly says.

"Aye," Luke nods.

"I want to fight!", she yells.

The two rivals are blown away when they feel the strong magical power from the small petite girl. It would have to be stronger than Erza herself.

The girl closes her eyes. "Have a taste of the demon I am!" Her eyes open to reveal they've changed from sky blue to blood red along with her light blonde hair which turns to pitch black. Scalely armor forms onto her body which makes Luke and Storm curse themselves for getting into the situation.

"Sorry for scaring you," she says with a cheerful high voice.

"The hell happened to her voice," Storm mutters.

"I just got infuriated at you for hurting my poor nose like that," she points to her nose with a pout.

"Storm and I were fighting again. We didn't mean to hurt you," Luke nods.

"I'm still angry, though. So I'm just going to return the pain about 100 times more," she giggles and throws red light at them.

Luke and Storm easily dodge and watch as the light has created an enormous hole in the ground.

Storm throws his attack of water slice at the girl while Luke gives her a taste of his fire dragon roar.

The girl stands still, and they both almost cheer for victory before she takes the hit.

"We forgot that she's a little girl," Storm said with a small frown.

"Do you think we killed her?", Luke asks.

He's answered with a series of more giggles from the girl.

"You two are fun," she says as she walks through the attack easily. Not a single scratch showed on herself.

"H-How the hell...", Luke mutters.

"My armor is efficient. It deflects fire and water," the girl says.

"You didn't even know what our powers were," Luke frowns in confusion.

"But I did. You're the 4th generation dragon slayer, and he's a water mage," the girl smiles.

"Would you mind telling us how you knew?", Storm asks.

"I have a lot of different magic abilities. I can defuse attacks and read magic," she answers.

"Read magic? Magic isn't a book," Luke frowns in confusion.

"Idiot," Storm mutters.

"I always know what magic everyone has. It's not just my magic doing that for me. It's my senses. You simply can't defeat me," she grins.

"Why would you want to defeat us? We barely did anything to you," Luke grumbled.

"My nose still itches," she complains.

"Seriously? Just get over it," Luke glares at her.

"If you punch your nose, I will stop the fight," she shrugs.

"No way am I doing something as stupid as that!", Luke yells.

"I'll do it for him," Storm says as his fist comes to his face, but Luke dodges.

"Leave me alone and let me fight this girl," Luke lights up a fist.

"Idiot," both the girl and Storm mutter lowly.

"I heard that!", Luke yells with fire coming out of his breath.

"Go ahead and fight me," the girl challenges.

"Iron dragon fist!", Luke swings a lit fist into the girl's cheek.

The girl dodges in a flash and kicks his back making him fall to the ground harshly. Luke didn't make a single movement on the ground.

"This girl is strong," Storm muses.

"Of course I am. I've always wanted to fight a dragon slayer," she smiles but then frowns. "I just wished it'd be a little more challenging."

"So that's the reason why you're fighting us with no actual cause," Luke got up. "If it's a challenge you want, it's a challenge you'll have," he grins.

"You're cocky for a guy who was taken down by a so-called little girl," she giggles.

"I'm a member of Fairy Tail. I will not give up on a fight. Especially with a girl like you," Luke says.

"Fairy Tail? This just got a whole lot more fun!", she smiles widely.

"Fire dragon talon!", Luke jumped to attack at her, but it does no damage to her armor.

"You seem to be all talk and no action," she pouts.

"I'll show you!", he yells and sends an enormous fire dragon roar at her.

She runs straight through the fire and punches Luke in a flash. While in the air because of the punch, Luke combines his two fists of fire towards the girl but the light disappears. She shoots a quick red flash of light- except nothing happens. Her hands are frozen.

"What happened?", She mutters as she tries to pull her hands apart. She hisses at the burning ice. Her hands felt numb.

"Your magic has one flaw," Storm says.

"What's that?", the girl says while frowning.

"You only can affect the mage's strongest power. So you can't block my ice magic," Storm grins as he sends ice lance at her.

"I didn't know a mage could even possess several kinds of magic like that," the girl gasps as she quickly dodges the ice.

"My magic isn't as good as my dad's, but it sure as hell will beat you!", Storm announces as he punches her.

She quickly bends below the fist and kicks his stomach.

"Now it's getting fun," she grins.

"No fair! I want in on the fun!", Luke runs up to the two fighting, but the girl punches him down without any thought.

"Let me handle her, Luke," Storm sighs.

"No! I want to fight! I'm all fired up!", Luke lights up another fist and punches her shoulder. Although, the hit does nothing to the armor.

Storm punches her stomach and cracks forms in the armor.

"It may be water proof and fire proof, but it ain't ice proof," Storm grins.

"Amazing," the girl mused. "You're a smart cookie."

"Compared to Smokey over there," Storm points to Luke who's picking his nose which disgusts the girl, "I'm Albert Einstein."

"I hope he washes his hands," she cringes.

"Me too," Storm mutters.

Storm sends more ice lance her way, but she breaks each ice with her red light. Storm decides that he needs to break her armor before any damage happens, so he runs up to her and freezes her armor.

"You're mean. My hands are freezing," the girl pouts.

"Whatever," Storm hits his ice and her armor cracks and breaks off leaving her in a brown t-shirt and black shorts.

"You're the first to break my armor," her eyes widen.

Storm punches her which causes her to fall to the ground. She doesn't move but twitches instead.

Her hair turns back to blonde and eyes back to blue.

"You're a brilliant opponent. I've never tasted defeat until this fateful day," her voice is back to the satanic sound.

"You're not so shabby yourself," Storm shrugs.

"I apologize for the trouble. I tend to be quite immature about being punched. Please in the future make sure to fight without including others," the girl sighs.

"Uh, yeah. We're sorry about punching you in the nose," Storm says awkwardly. He sighs when Luke is sleeping soundly on the grass.

"My name is Yennel. I shall return you to your original location," she says with a clap.

They're all back to the table with the dreadful long check waiting for them. Yennel is gone causing Luke to raise a brow in confusion.

"What exactly happened?", Luke asks.

"I'm not even sure myself," Storm shrugs.

* * *

They both walk around trying to find a hotel to stay in.

"That Yennel girl tired me out," Luke complains.

"But how could she have been so strong? Despite myself defeating her, she definitely wouldn't be someone to mess with," Storm lets his mind remember the fight between them.

"We sure did learn that the hard way," Luke runs a hand through his blonde hair. He felt slightly frustrated that his rival was able to beat an opponent he wasn't able to.

"What confuses me even further is why she works at that restaurant rather than a guild or something else more worth the time," Storm speaks.

"You know what's weird?", Luke says.

"What?", Storm asks confused.

"Aren't you supposed to be older to work at a restaurant?", Luke asks.

"Anyway, we should just focus on getting to sleep. Tomorrow we'll go looking for Nashi," Storm says.

"Why not just go get her now and go back to the guild by tomorrow morning?", Luke suggests.

"I'm tired and magically drained of power," Storm sighs. "Besides, I'm sure that guy isn't being mean to Nashi or anything."

Luke stares off into the other direction, and Storm shoves his shoulder.

"Quit your worrying. Have some faith in your sister. From seeing that fight with Ashton, something tells me that she isn't as weak as you think," Storm says before walking in front of him.

Luke starts to walk again. "I never said she was weak. I just worry about her ever since you almost killed her that one time," Luke glares at Storm.

"She's not dead, is she?", Storm asks.

"Well no-"

"There's no need to worry. Sometimes, instead of helping her, you hold her back from the door to make her stronger," Storm says.

"It's just so hard with her wanting to get into fights and being reckless even without her magic," Luke sighs.

"Says the person who does the same things? You're a little hypocritical towards your sister," Storm shakes his head.

"No, I'm not!", Luke defends.

Storm tchs. "How about this? We let Nashi stay here for a little while without us interfering and see how well she does. You can help if it's an emergency, but this will help you find out how strong Nashi is."

"Why the hell would I do that?", Luke asks with a glare.

"Prove that you're not a hypocrite," Storm shrugs.

Luke takes a moment to go over the facts, but his mouth moves before his mind can, "I'm not a hypocrite."


	6. Chapter 6

**S I X**

* * *

Nashi wakes to find a blanket draped over herself in a warm comforting way. She groans from the light of the window trying to get her out of the sweet bliss of the blanket. Eventually, Nashi pushes herself off the couch. She jumps up with enthusiasm when realizing that she'll be training today. She'd always have the energy to train no matter the time.

"Time for more training!", Nashi yells to herself with excitement.

"Quiet down!", she recognizes Creston's voice loud behind his room door.

Nashi sighs out, "Sorry." She decides to wait by examining the patterns on the ceiling above her. It was a rough texture that Nashi stretched her arm to feel, but it wasn't long enough. She stood up on the couch to try, but that idea failed also leaving her to be disappointed.

Once it's been about 10 minutes, Nashi decides that her waiting is enough and tip toes to Grisam's door. _I gotta be like a ninja. Nin-nin!_ She pushes the door open slowly ignoring the creak and slips in.

Grisam is still sleeping with his hair being spikier than ever, and there's a frown on his face. Nashi found it strange how the frown just seemed to make him look less serious than usual. She found that he was weirder than the serious self he claimed to be.

While taking a step closer, Grisam murmurs in his sleep, but Nashi can't make out any coherent words from him. She assumed that he'd be close to awakening considering that he is, in fact, moving around in his bed trying to get comfortable. Despite knowing that he's done so much for her, Nashi's energy gets the best of her as she tries to shake Grisam awake as gently as she possibly can.

"Wake up," Nashi says louder than intended.

"Wha...", he mumbles before realizing who's shaking him, "The hell..."

"'Bout time you wake up. I let you sleep in a little, but I'm itching to start training now," Nashi pouts. She hated waiting for him to wake up every day.

"You can't just come into my room like this," he rubs at his eyes once making contact with the light out the window. He sits up causing his blanket to fall down and reveal himself being shirtless.

Although, Nashi pays no mind to that and frowns, "Why not?"

"There's this thing called privacy," Grisam grumbles while folding his arms.

"I didn't know there were rules to having a room," Nashi says with confusion.

"Figures," Grisam mutters and stands up revealing that he's also not wearing any pants.

Again, Nashi doesn't notice and makes a hopeful look in her eyes while looking at Grisam, "Can we go training now?! Please...?"

"It's a weekend. We take weekends off," he groans. "and now, you just woke me up at," he checks the clock on his nightstand, "8:30 am?!"

"You didn't tell me that, so I didn't know," Nashi folds her arms, but quickly, continues to jump around energetically, "I'm still full of energy..."

Nashi takes her moment of doing cartwheels to notice that Grisam only has underwear on. She bursts out laughing.

Grisam suddenly raises a brow, "Huh? What's so funny?"

"You remind me of my dad's rival, Gray, at the guild. Although, Dad expects Luke and me to call him stripper since he never wears all of his clothes," Nashi explains still continuing her laugh.

Grisam glances down at his state of clothing and a blush appears darkly in his tanned cheeks, "Just one moment." He shoves Nashi out the room before another word is spoken leaving a confused Nashi in the living room and a flustered Grisam in his own room. He sighs at Nashi's density of people. _Does she not have common sense?_

Nashi decides to take her trip to the kitchen and see if there's anything tasty to munch on for breakfast. As she scans through the refrigerator, she catches a whiff of Grisam's scent nearing her along with the loud footsteps following it. She closes the door and turns to Grisam.

"You need more food," Nashi states glumly.

"I usually eat out at restaurants," Grisam defends.

"Wouldn't be cheaper to buy food from the market and cook it?", Nashi retorts.

"I don't know how to cook...", Grisam states awkwardly.

"But I can," Nashi says.

"You know how to cook?", Grisam asks with slight surprise.

"That's why I value food so much," Nashi laughs, "Although, my dad probably values food more than me, and he's banned from using the kitchen after lighting the house on fire _twice_." Nashi giggles at the memory of her dad profusely apologizing to her mom.

"You talk about your dad a lot. What's your mom like?", Grisam asks out of curiosity.

Nashi is slightly surprised by the interest but doesn't hesitate in talking about her. "I think she's really awesome. Compared to my dad, she's a whole lot smarter and calmer than him. She's also a celestial wizard..." She goes in with talking about her amazing mother.

But Grisam pauses in his motions. _Celestial wizard?_ Those were the rarest but deemed most powerful mages in all of Earth-land - maybe even stronger than the dragon slayers. He looks at Nashi while she continues to ramble about her mother. To be a daughter of a legendary fire dragon slayer and powerful celestial mage, it certainly is more of a surprise for her to be magic-less. Nashi _can't_ be just a regular human. There's no way with such power... But there's that one thing he read about- No. _No,_ that'd mean that Zeref would still be alive. That's not possible.

After the war between the other continent of Earth-land and Fairy Tail about 2 decades or more ago, the dark wizard, Zeref, was defeated. No one had the knowledge of who conquered victory over Zeref. Many suspected Fairy Tail, but they didn't dare to bring it up as it was a painful memory. None of the people in Fairy Tail wanted to relive the events that led to many, including their 7th master Makarov, meeting violent deaths. Despite being a major event in the history of Fiore, all the magic guilds that fought didn't dare reveal a single fact about the war.

Grisam assumed that, again, they didn't want to be reminded of painful memories in their minds, but maybe there's more... Maybe Zeref's plan didn't work so, he scraped his idea and decided to go with it because no one would expect it.

There's more to Nashi than everyone first thought.

Whether his theory is true or merely a false accusation of Zeref, Grisam knew that he couldn't go along with his plan anymore. Any relations to Zeref are serious business. He can't be playing around with Nashi anymore.

"Hello?", Nashi waves a hand in his face.

"Uh! Sorry- Yes?", Grisam sputters out in surprise. He almost forgot that she was talking to him. That made him feel guilty for not being attentive.

"You keep spacing off," Nashi tchs with the shake of her head.

"Sorry," Grisam repeats.

"Stop apologizing so much. It makes 'sorry' lose meaning when you do," Nashi folds her arms.

"Sor-," he catches his self, "Okay."

Nashi smiles causing Grisam to smile back uncontrollably. Despite not knowing what the future holds for Nashi, she seemed to light up the room with her smile.

"I was wondering if we could at least walk around. My legs don't want to stay still," Nashi gives a hopeful look.

Grisam lets his eyes trail down her long legs and notices her foot impatiently tapping on the ground. "Sure," he agrees.

They began their walk from their usual training spot and walk. Grisam would find it relaxing if Nashi wasn't bouncing all over the place energetically.

"Y'know, you're acting weird. Well," Nashi pauses to think, "you're always weird actually, but now, you're acting weird _er_ ," Nashi states.

"I guess I'm just feeling a bit off today," Grisam shrugs nonchalantly not bothering to fight back against her words because she means no harm.

Although, Nashi notices how his heart beats faster than normal, and his tense posture. She decides against the idea of further interviewing him since he probably wants some peace and quiet for now.

Instead, she says, "You can trust me with telling me anything. Maybe I won't have advice, but I'll be there to listen."

Grisam sighs after hearing those words leave her lips. He'd love to tell what on his mind, but he can't. Telling her about his first plan would make her hate him, and telling her about Zeref would make her in danger with herself. Who knows how she would react to knowing about such things? She may not even believe him.

Instead, he says, "Thanks," with guilt eating him up inside.

Nashi isn't always the happy-go-camper - an example being with what happened with the games. She understands emotions, so at the moment, she's deeply in concern for Grisam. He's been thinking a lot about something for awhile now today... but maybe he just needs some cheering up!

She looks over at Grisam with a cheeky grin, "Last one home is a rotten egg," turning around, she dashes back. It takes a moment for Grisam to realize what Nashi said, and after that, he too is running through the forest.

They both jump over any fallen logs or dodge any big branches in the way. It doesn't take long to get back to Grisam's house, though. Nashi reaches the door first with a wide smile. "I won!"

Grisam stops and realizes that her smile is so bright that he didn't care that he lost. He gives a smile back and chuckles. "Maybe having pent up energy can do ya some good," he shrugs.

"I feel like I could run all over Fiore right now," Nashi stretches again.

"Of course," Grisam sighs.

"If we're not going to be training, I gotta do something. What do you want to do?", Nashi asks.

"Usually, I just go on my treasure hunting jobs, but-"

"That's it!", Nashi says. _This is for sure going to cheer him up!_

"What?", Grisam says before frowning and shaking his head with realization, "No. You can't."

"Why not?", Nashi pouts.

"You're not a member of our guild," Grisam states.

"I'll just be helping you. It's not like I'm doing one by myself," Nashi suggests looking at him with hopeful eyes.

Grisam glances back at her and internally groans. _Why is she giving me that look?_ "Fine," he gives in, "but don't mess up the job."

"I won't!", Nashi confirms.

But Grisam doesn't quite believe her.

* * *

Once inside the train, Grisam freaked out.

"Are you okay?", he asks with concern.

Nashi laid out in front of him appearing greener than grass and crying tears that could overflow an ocean.

"Just dandy," Nashi struggles to give a thumbs up making it look shaky.

"I didn't know you had major motion sickness," Grisam.

"Don't say that word please!", Nashi begs after she gags again and quickly covers her mouth.

Grisam sighs. "You get sick just by thinking about it?"

Nashi plainly nods.

"How do you deal with it?", he asks to see if he can help.

"I just walk everywhere," Nashi answers with her voice muffles behind her hand.

"But it takes you longer and makes you tired," Grisam points out.

"I rather that than this," Nashi quickly runs to throw up out of the window of the train.

' _All of this, and the train hasn't even moved yet_ ', Grisam thought with another sigh.

When the train finally decided to leave, Nashi somehow grew greener than she already was.

"Kill me! Just take me out of my misery!", Nashi cries out dramatically causing others on the train to give them weird looks.

While Nashi looks pitiful, Grisam watches with want to help her but knowing there's not much he can do. It's strange a person's greatest weakness can show them in a new light. With Nashi being as happy as she showed to Grisam, he wouldn't have understood how Nashi is with other emotions. It reminds him of when she was sleeping in the rain because she was too tired to move from running away from Crocus which is far away from Hargeon.

He still couldn't believe everything about the way she spoke about her brother and guild. Despite her brother doing that crappy thing to her and the guild not putting their full faith in her, she still seemed to know in her heart how they meant everything to her. She'd talk about them all the time.

Grisam blurts out, "How can you care about Fairy Tail so much after everything that's happened?"

With her being sick, he doesn't expect her to respond. So he's surprised when she tries to straighten up and says, "Because despite knowing I'm weak-" he wanted to interrupt her by stating that she's not weak at all, but allows her to continue without any interruptions, "they still care about me. I expect them to get a little overprotective, especially my brother, because they don't want me to get hurt." Her face noticeably turns back to normal as she's distracted by her thinking. "Ever since I was little, Fairy Tail has been there for me. They taught me everything that I know. I can't forget about the guild no matter how long I'm always from them."

"I almost ran away after day one of training with you," she admits. "I thought that I just overreacted by running away. I felt guilty that I would be making the guild worry about me just because I got upset over some stupid fight with my brother. But then I realized maybe running away to train would be a smart idea. I could show up at the guild doors, order someone to fight me, and win the fight. I could prove to my brother, parents, guildmates, everyone that I am not the weak person they once thought I was. That's why I'm here with you to train."

"So you only chose to stay with me for training," Grisam honestly felt hurt by that realization. Then again, he was the one trying to- Stop, that's over. He isn't going to be going along with that anymore. For now, he's staying with Nashi to make sure she doesn't get hurt.

"No," Nashi shakes her head, "You're also really nice," she grins.

"Uh... Thanks?", Grisam says awkwardly.

"Oh crap," Nashi feels queasy again.

Grisam sighs once again when Nashi turns back into that familiar green.

* * *

"So all we have to do is find the Runic Stone? This is gonna be easy. It's just basically a rock and those are everywhere," Nashi grins.

They were in Clovertown, a city somewhat far from Hargeon and past Magnolia. The town looked just like a normal town, but there was a special treasure hidden somewhere deep within the ground where someone buried it. Treasure hunting guilds had jobs such as these where their requester wanted a certain treasure. Most treasure hunters didn't care if they were stealing just as long as they receive their money's worth. Although, Nashi didn't care about the reward or stealing - which she didn't even bother to think about. She just wanted to go on an adventure!

Grisam rolls his eyes at Nashi. "This is a very rare and powerful stone, not an ordinary rock. It's quite suspicious that someone would want it, but the reward is very high. Please don't screw this up," Grisam sighs out.

Now it was time for Nashi to roll her eyes. "It's not like I haven't been on jobs before. I won't ruin it," she mutters in annoyance.

They walk around stores and buildings until they spot the woods Inside the woods, the treasure would be buried somewhere next to a very old tree, and that's all the information that they received from the requester.

"Here," Grisam dangerously tosses a shovel to her. He mumbles, "They're heavy..."

"You should've just given me one earlier when I asked," Nashi points out as she catches the shovel with ease.

Grisam decides to ignore her and starts walking. "I can't tell how old these trees are."

Nashi looks around and tries to decipher the age of the trees, but she isn't the Lorax.

"Ooo! I have an idea!", Nashi pipes up.

Grisam shrugs, "Okay, let's hear it."

"How 'bout we just dig up beside each tree? We're bound to find the gem some time," Nashi suggests.

Grisam sighs and speaks, "No offense but that's a horrible idea. We'll damage so much property, and it'll take longer."

Nashi folds her arms and grumbles, "I'd like to see you come up with a better idea."

Grisam ignores her again and voices his thoughts aloud, "I can't believe that he couldn't have given us a better description of where it's located."

"I'm going with my plan," Nashi decides and dashes off to start digging.

"Wait-" _Thump_

But it's too late, Nashi has already knocked down a tree.

Grisam groans.

"Agh, there's something in the way. The shovel won't go any farther," Nashi complains as she continues to hit the ground with her shovel.

"No, stop, Nashi! That might be the stone!", Grisam swiftly takes the shovel and gently digs out the rest of the dirt.

But Nashi points out, "That's just some shoe that a dog probably dug up."

He should've known that it wasn't going to be so easy.

Grisam takes out the request paper once again to read over the details about the 5th time. "We don't even know who gave this request anyway. It just has an address with an unbelievable amount of jewel asking for the Runic Stone which is found in Clovertown beside a tree closely to about 400 years old."

"Are you giving up already?", Nashi asks with slight disbelief.

"No, I'm not. I'm just very skeptical about this. The stone is often seen to be priceless because of how much power laid inside of it. If the wrong person were to get their hands on it, who knows what could happen," Grisam explains.

"I guess you're right about that. We can just take another job. I don't want to do a job that you're wary about," Nashi says.

"But before we do, I want to visit this address. I need to know who gave the request. If they're not suspicious, maybe I'll decide to help them out for the reward," Grisam decides.

"Aye," Nashi nods. "And if the person dares to mess with me, I'll be punching them back to where they came from," Nashi grins.

Grisam grins back at her.

* * *

Nashi ends up being the first person to the door allowing herself to knock on the door first. Grisam is still walking up the door when a man - who didn't remotely look anything like a normal human - opens the door.

Grisam notices that Nashi's expression doesn't falter a single bit as she sees him. He'd expect anyone to be afraid of the beastly person. He was taller than any person he's ever seen with scalely skin making him appear as some lizard.

"Who the hell are you?", he grumbles out to Nashi.

He watches as Nashi's eyes seem to widen. "Y-You..."

"What is it, kid? Spit it out?", he demands.

"Why... this power... why do I...", Nashi weakly collapses, and Grisam dashes to catch her.

"What the hell did you do?", Grisam barks out at the man while looking at Nashi in concern.

"I suppose it's the curse," the man starts. Grisam turns to look at him but he's turning around to go back inside his house.

That's when he catches it.

No, there's no way.

Could it?

That mark on his back.

"Tartaros," Grisam says.

The man turns back towards Grisam with a wicked smile.

"You found me out, ey?", his eyes are closed which makes Grisam uneasy.

"So this whole thing about Zeref dead is a fucking lie then!", Grisam yells.

"It seemed that even his most powerful demon couldn't carry out his will. But this time, fairies are sure to lose their wings in this fight," he speaks.

Fairies? Why the hell is he- Oh... _OH!_

"Hell no!", as he's about to swing a fist in his face, his red eyes open. Grisam instantly becomes filled with fatigue and weakness. He's tired. "No..." He looks down at Nashi as his legs give out making sure to cushion Nashi's fall. "Damnit... I couldn't even..."

Darkness fills his vision.

Maybe Nashi wasn't the only one making stupid ideas.


	7. Chapter 7

_A Week Ago..._

"Why hasn't Luke or Nashi come back yet? It's 12:00," Lucy says in concern to Natsu.

Lucy, Natsu, and Happy were all in their hotel room waiting for the Dragneel siblings to come.

"Maybe they're celebrating her big win... Though, it is strange for Luke to keep her out this long," Natsu suggests.

"I have a bad feeling," Lucy sighs.

"Huh?", Natsu says with confusion.

"My mother senses are tingling. I think they might be in trouble," Lucy says.

"I could fly over and check for you," Happy says.

"Sure, thank you," Lucy smiles in gratitude as Happy flies out the window.

"Man, I was so proud of Nashi today. She did so well with that sword, but I have a feeling that it was too good to be true," Natsu says in a serious tone as he sits beside Lucy on the edge of the bed.

"What do you mean?", Lucy asks. She had been so proud of Nashi too. She would've hugged her and congratulated her if she hadn't run off with Luke.

"I think Ashton was going easy on her. He's a strong wizard. He could've done so much more, and then, he suddenly collapses," Natsu explains.

"But why would he do that?", Lucy asks with surprise.

"Maybe he didn't want to injure her all that badly?", Natsu suggests with a frown.

"But if Nashi were to find out about this, she'd be so upset- Oh come on," Lucy groans at the realization.

"What?", Natsu asks.

"I'm just guessing... but Nashi might've run away," Lucy says.

"What?!", Natsu yells.

"Natsu, calm down," Lucy says but Natsu ignores her.

He stands up and shrugs on the vest that he took off earlier.

"I can't calm down," Natsu growls out.

"Natsu...", Lucy whispers. She's learned to not be scared when Natsu got like this, but it still made her feel uneasy.

"I'm beating up that Ashton guy!", he declares and jumps out the window.

Lucy groans to herself. _Why can't he stop and think before beating something up?_

She knew that both Natsu and Luke are very overprotective of her because she doesn't wield magic. She tried for years to use fire and celestial magic, but it never happened. She tried to use takeover magic because of how easy Mira said it would be, but again, it didn't work. Nashi has tried hard to show how powerful she can be only for it to be crumbled down because of the fact that she can't use magic. Lucy didn't miss the fact that she was training with Erza's old sword in the woods one time when she was taking a walk. Nashi is very great with a sword just not magic.

Lucy has also noticed when she gets bored at the guild and reads the books that Levy left for her with no interest. She's sure that reading isn't her thing just like Natsu who had to learn from Erza in three days without water or food. Nashi is smart, but she isn't a bookworm. Many of her guildmates have tried to give her some activities to do such as that. Kana would play cards with her... and always win. Juvia would show her the reigns on how to sneak around the guild quietly which often resulted in her accidentally crashing and breaking something important. Erza would take her to make some extraordinary cake made with the special sweet strawberries found in the mountains, but Nashi would almost always unintentionally burn the cake. Happy would go fishing, but Nashi could never catch a fish. Lucy just decided to tell her guildmates that she was fine as she was after she noticed her training. Lucy had her complete faith in her and wanted her to focus on her own dreams.

But it all didn't matter when Ashton went easy on her. Lucy was sure now that she ran away. But why did Ashton do it?

* * *

Natsu sprinted off to Blue Pegasus once his feet hit the ground. The cool breeze felt nice as he moved against it.

"Natsu?", Happy calls out from above.

"Take me to Blue Pegasus," he says.

"Aye sir!", Happy lifts him and flies to their hotel.

Natsu barges inside causing people inside to start screaming their heads off, and Natsu to cover his ears in irritation. The hotel looks slightly like the Blue Pegasus guild except smaller, but it seems that they're still doing their regular business despite being in Crocus for the magic games.

"Excuse me, Natsu. But you seem to be wearing an angry parfum," Ichiya states.

"Hi, Natsu. I'm Evelyn," a girl greets along with two others. "I can be your little niece."

"Wow, you're certainly strong. I'm Masaki," another girl oogles at his arms.

"I mean, you're kinda interesting but not really," the last girl turns away with a small blush. "My name is Lin."

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, do you know where Ashton is?", he mutters out angrily.

"He's over there," the first girl points to where he's sitting beside another girl at the bar. They seem to be conversing about something. _Too bad their conversation will just have to be cut short_.

Natsu marches right up to Ashton and grabs his wrist.

"What the hell, man!", Ashton hisses at Natsu. "I was in the middle of a lovely conversation," he winks at the girl who smiles at him.

"Sorry, but it'll have to wait," Natsu drags him out the door.

They make their way outside and beside the hotel away from all the noise.

"What do you want?", Ashton orders impatiently.

"Tell me why you went easy on Nashi," Natsu subconsciously lit a hand on fire which showed he was indeed angry.

"Woah, woah. Calm down," Ashton puts his hands out in defense.

"Tell me," Natsu says with a threatening tone.

"Do you really want to know?", Ashton shrugs.

"That's why I'm asking you," Natsu raises an eyebrow.

Ashton mumbles out, "Nevermind," before saying, "Someone paid me even though I would've gone easy on her either way."

"Huh? Who?!", Natsu asks.

"I'm sure if you think hard enough, you'll figure it out," Ashton says.

Natsu started to think about different possibilities. Lucy couldn't have been the person she wouldn't do that. He definitely didn't do it because he's here asking. Happy? He seems a little suspicious.

"Happy?", Natsu asks.

"No, it wasn't that stupid flying cat," Ashton sighs.

"Don't call him stupid!", Natsu yells.

"Sorry...", Ashton mutters.

 _Think, Natsu, think. Luke? He was the other person gone. Maybe..._

"Luke?", Natsu asks.

 _..._

 _There's no way, though._

 _..._

 _Right..?_

"Ding, ding, ding! He came up to me and looked as if he were about to have some sort of heart attack," Ashton explain. "Now, excuse me while I go back with my conversation- What are you doing?" Ashton looks at Natsu who has a grip on his collar.

Ashton's jaw quickly moved to the right.

"That's for going easy on Nashi!"

Moves to the left.

"That's for losing a point for your guild for money."

Moves to the right.

"That's for being annoying."

Falls to the ground.

"That's because I wanted to."

Ashton spits out blood and glares at Natsu. "Do you really want to fight with me?"

"Maybe I do," Natsu grins.

"Fine then. Don't go easy on me just because I'm younger than you-," Ashton gets up, but Natsu quickly punches him back to the ground to the ground leaving him unconscious.

"Sure," Natsu says with a grin.

 _I've been training for many years more than you. You didn't stand a chance in the first place._

Natsu decides to at least take him back to the guild, and everyone gasps when they spot Natsu holding Ashton.

"He thought he could fight me. Ask him more about it when he wakes up. Maybe he'll tell you why he lost a point for your guild," Natsu says as he places him on a couch.

"I can't believe he could just do that to Ashton," Evelyn says with disbelief.

"I know he's strong, but I expected him to be nicer than that," Masaki starts rubbing up Natsu's arm again causing him to shove the girl away.

"Then again, Ashton is an asshole who probably deserved it," Lin shrugs with her arms folded.

"Just because you two are fighting doesn't mean you get to go out using language like that. There are guests here," Masaki scolds.

"I'm not the person who cheats on my boyfriend every time I get the chance. I'm done with his shit. I don't care about what the guests think either!", Lin yells grabbing the attention of everyone.

"Ashton has been a big meanie to Lin," Evelyn says to Natsu whose eyes are hardened.

"Who the hell cheats on their lover? That guy is messed up in the head," Natsu says to Lin.

"I know right? I've been wanting to give him a piece of my mind for awhile now," Lin nods.

"I'll happily beat him up again," Natsu says.

"Nah, I rather do it myself. It'll be more fun," Lin cracks her knuckles with a creepy smile.

"You shouldn't be fighting with Ashton so much. Just get over him," Masaki presses.

"I'm already over him. I just want to give him a piece of my mind," Lin stretches her arms.

"That's the spirit!", Natsu cheers.

"Don't be encouraging this," Masaki glares at Natsu.

"It's her problem, not yours. Let her beat the guy up," Natsu says.

"Natsu!", Happy comes flying towards Natsu.

"Yeah?", Natsu asks before noticing his look of panic on his face. "What's wrong?"

"We need to get out of here. Now!", Happy says before tugging on Natsu's scarf to go outside.

"Huh?", Natsu says.

"That's the cat that stole my food!", some stranger points at Happy and yells. "If you allow your stupid pets to do whatever they want, I'm never coming here again!"

"Hey!", Natsu shouts back. "Happy's not a stupid pet! He's my friend and a member of Fairy Tail."

"Pet or not, keep that rodent away from me!", he retorts.

"Happy isn't a rodent!", Natsu swings a flaming fist into his cheek with makes him go flying to the other side of the room. He looks over Happy and says, "Let's go home now."

* * *

Once Natsu and Happy got back to the hotel, Lucy sat there on the bed with a look of annoyance.

They covered his ears once Lucy opened her mouth. Natsu didn't mean to be rude but her mad voice would often be too loud for his sensitive ears to handle. Although, Happy did it just to irritate her more.

"You can't just go and beat up someone at a different guild like that! We might get disqualified! And you might hurt someone! Ashton isn't as powerful at you, Natsu! You can possibly kill him in one hit!", Lucy yells.

"I didn't kill him with one hit. I knocked him out with one hit," Natsu grins which results in Lucy groaning.

"Natsu...", she says with a warning voice.

"He deserved it," Natsu points out.

"Fighting can't solve the fact that Nashi is still gone. Don't you have any idea about where she could have gone?", Lucy says.

"Ashton did tell me something important actually," Natsu spoke.

"What is it?!", Lucy inquires.

"He was paid," Natsu answers.

"Who-"

"Luke paid him," Natsu said.

"Luke did that?", Happy asks.

"I'm afraid so," Natsu nods.

"I know that Luke doesn't want her to get hurt but... but why would he...?", Lucy shakes her head with a frown.

"Ashton told me that he looked as if he were having a heart attack," Natsu says.

"I just don't understand," Lucy sighs.

"Fear can really make you do the things you usually don't do," Happy speaks.

"What is a line of such serious words doing coming out of your mouth?", Lucy asks with surprise.

"I know that sometimes when I catch a fish way bigger than me, I let it go because I'm afraid it'll eat me. Though, it could've tasted great," Happy's mouth waters at the thought of fish. Despite doing his own "training" of trying to resist fish, he still isn't so great at it.

"Makes sense," Natsu nods.

"Anything with food makes sense to you two," Lucy mutters.

"Not everything," Natsu shakes his head.

"What?", Lucy asks.

"Was the color orange named after the fruit orange or the other way around?", Natsu asks.

"I've been wondering the same thing!", Happy states.

"Oh, Mavis," Lucy facepalms.

"It just hurts my brain after each time of thinking about it," Natsu says.

"Your brain always hurts when you think," Happy points out.

"What is that supposed to mean?!", Natsu asks with a glare.

"You aren't exactly as smart as Lucy," Happy explains.

' _Did Happy just indirectly compliment me_?', Lucy thinks with a small smile.

"But I guess Lucy is fatter so-"

"Shut up cat!", Lucy yells hitting his head. "Try having two kids and looking the same!"

"Ow!", Happy quickly flies behind Natsu. "Lucy is being mean to me!"

"Then don't call me fat!", Lucy screams at him.

"You know that Lucy gets upset when you call her fat," Natsu speaks.

"Sorry, Lucy," Happy says in a quiet tone.

"Whatever," Lucy mutters. "So what do we do now about Luke and Nashi. We need to find them."

There's a knock at the door, and Natsu walks over to open the door.

Gray and Juvia are revealed looking obviously stressed out just like Lucy.

"Have you two seen Storm anywhere?", Gray asks.

"Storm? No, we haven't actually," Lucy catches a glance at Natsu whose eyes look just as stressful as theirs.

"Wow, you can't even keep up with your own kid," Natsu laughs.

"Stop, Natsu. This is serious," Lucy pinches his arms which makes him glare at her. "You also can't say that because we have no idea where Luke and Nashi are."

"Nashi is missing?", Juvia asks with concern about her horrible stalking buddy.

"We think she ran away," Happy says.

"Why would she run away after such a win?", Juvia asks with a frown.

"Luke paid Ashton to let her win," Natsu said.

"But... but that's cheating!", Gray sputters out.

"We're assuming that he didn't want Nashi to get hurt," Lucy said.

"But she was so great with the sword," Juvia says.

"That's it! I'm going to go look for them. Come with me, Lucy, Happy, Juvia. Stripper, go away or something," Natsu carries Lucy at he jumps out the window making her squeal in surprise.

"Shut up, fire brain. I'm coming with," he picks up Juvia and jumps out to leaving Happy to fly out and follow everyone.

Natsu sprints towards the GMG stadium and catches a small whiff of the smell... smoke and mint.

 _Luke and Storm._

He sniffs again and can barely catch the other scent of burning cherry blossom.

 _Nashi._

Natsu found that Nashi was a perfect mixture of his and Lucy's scent, so he always found her scent more appealing than Luke's ordinary smoke.

"Luke and Storm's scent are fresher meaning that Nashi left this way before them," Natsu starts his running through the forest. Although their scents seem harder to sniff out because of the rain.

The rest follow after Natsu. Juvia sighs at the nice water soaking up her magic in relaxation while Lucy complains about the mud ruining her shoes.

"I bet Luke and Storm went after Nashi to bring her back," Gray says.

"Then why aren't they back by now?", Juvia asks.

"Beats me," Gray answers.

"What if they're in trouble?", Lucy asks anxiously.

"I'm sure they're fine," Natsu says after detecting her obvious fears.

"But anything can happen... What if they-"

"Lucy," Natsu starts, "I promise that they're okay and that if they aren't, I will protect them."

"Natsu...", Lucy quietly says.

"There's no need to be worrying, Lucy. Luke and Storm can take care of themselves, and I'm sure it's no different with Nashi," Gray says.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just being paranoid," Lucy nods with a smile.

"I'm tired and cold," Happy mumbles as he finds a place comfortable in Lucy's chest.

"My chest isn't your personal heater, stupid cat!", Lucy yells at Happy.

"Oi, shush, Lucy. I'm trying to sleep," Happy says and closes his eyes.

"I will Lucy kick you to the moon if you don't get out in 3...", Lucy starts and watches at Happy's eyes open wide. "2...", Happy tries to pull himself out of Lucy's shirt. "1...", Happy dashes out into Natsu's arms.

"Lucy was threatening me again," Happy cries.

"It's okay, Happy... Lucy's chest is mine anyway," Natsu grins.

"Shut up, you idiot!", Lucy gives them both a taste of her powerful kick.

"You guys need to focus on the task at hand," Gray says with his arms folded over his bare chest.

"Your shirt is missing again," Lucy points out.

"Ahh shit! Not again!", Gray scrambles around, but Juvia places a gentle hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"Juvia's been holding onto your shirt," Juvia hands him the shirt.

"Uh... thanks," Gray gives a short smile to her before letting his face fall back to its usual frown.

* * *

After many more minutes of bickering, they come to a certain tree.

"Isn't this Hargeon?", Lucy asks Natsu who nods.

"There's another scent here...", Natsu states.

"Who?", Happy asks.

Natsu shakes his head, "I'm not sure. It smells kind of familiar although."

"Really?", Lucy asks.

"It kinda reminds me of those treasure hunters from that frozen city job we took from that tree dude a long time ago," Natsu says.

"Tree dude?", Lucy inquires with confusion.

"Are you talking about Warrod?", Gray asks.

"Oh yeah! The wizard saint who joked around a lot!", Lucy nods with realization.

"Yeah, that tree dude-"

"You shouldn't be calling a wizard saint, 'tree dude', Natsu," Lucy sighs.

"What else do I call him? 'Tree _guy_ '?", Natsu asks with confusion.

"Stupid," Gray shakes his head at Natsu.

"Who are you calling stupid!", Natsu yells at Gray.

"NATSU!", Lucy yells making him back down.

"Sorry...", Natsu mumbles out.

"It's fine. You just need to focus. You're the only person who can sniff out where they are," Lucy says.

Natsu nods in understanding and continues his way of sniffing out the three. They walk through town finding that it was silent and empty allowing it to be easier to smell the three for Natsu.

"That other scent is still here," Natsu says to the group.

"Do you think something happened to Nashi, Storm, and Luke?", Juvia asks worriedly.

"I'm sure they're okay. Whoever was with them was confused. Although, his scent is also faint with Nashi compared to Luke and Storm's. I'm thinking that maybe the guy took Nashi or something," Natsu theorizes.

"But why would someone take Nashi?", Happy asks.

"I'm not sure," Natsu shrugs.

They continue their way until...

"Dad? Mom?"

Natsu and the gang all turn to face towards Storm who looks panicked.

"What's wrong, Storm?", Juvia asks.

"Damnit! Someone took Luke!", Storm says.

"Calm down and tell us," Lucy says softly.

"Well...", Storm drifts off.

* * *

 _"Do you know where a good hotel would be around here?", Luke asks._

 _Storm's eyes widen with realization. "We forgot to bring money!"_

 _"I can't believe you forgot to bring money!", Luke says to Storm with annoyance._

 _"Well, it's not like you brought money either," Storm defends._

 _"Maybe! But... But...", Luke goes quiet as he tries to think of a good comeback._

 _"Idiot," Storm mutters._

 _"What did ya just call me!", Luke yells._

 _"I called you an idiot, stupid!", Storm shouts back._

 _They start off again with their fighting until they both get the shivers. They both know it isn't because of the cold night air since they're both immune to cold. Turning slowly, a beastly man stands in front of them with his eyes closed._

 _"Are you a Dragneel?", the person asks._

 _"Yeah...", Luke answers truthfully which makes Storm groan at his ability to be so dense towards a creepy looking guy. "Who the hell are you?"_

 _"I am Akumu if you want to call me by a foolish name that humans have brought upon me," he answers._

 _"Well,_ Akumu _, what do you want? I'm kinda in the middle of talking to my guildmate," Luke gestures to Storm even though Akumu's eyes aren't open._

 _"I'm sure you should fix your priorities. Lord Zeref will be pleased to see me after I take you with me," his eyes open wide to reveal blood red eyes that look into Luke's brown eyes._

 _Storm watches as Luke collapses to the ground, and Akumu slugs him up over his shoulder._

 _"What the hell man! Let him go!", Storm yells and sticks his hands out to spray water._

 _Akumu's eyes try to open, but Storm quickly sprays more water at them._

 _Storm swiftly pulls on Luke's arm and tries to run away with him._

 _"You foolish brat! Lord Zeref needs the Dragneel in order to carry out his will!", loud thundering footsteps follow after Storm._

 _Storm ices the ground to make him slip and fall allowing him to run past Akumu, but his eyes widen when Akumu's form turns into a larger beast._

 _"Now you're just making me angry!", he reaches out a hand and swiftly grabs Luke from Storm, but he keeps a grip on Luke._

 _"Let go!", Storm yells at Akumu._

 _"I'm not here to play around, human," he opens his eyes but Storm flings ice at them along at his hand which makes him release his hold on Luke._

 _"Me neither. You're just getting on my nerves," Storm says._

 _Akumu grows larger with anger and flicks a finger at Storm causing him to fly back into the side of a building._

 _"I'm done with you," Akumu picks up Luke and disappears._

 _Storm quickly gets up and walks over to where Akumu was._

 _"The hell?! Get back here and fight me!", Storm yells._

* * *

"That's about what happened," Storm finishes.

Everyone is tense. Not just because of Luke being taken away but the fact that a strange man mentioning Zeref took Luke.

"What's wrong?", Storm asks after noticing everyone's reactions.

"I thought he was dead," Lucy spoke with a frown.

Natsu and Gray both internally freak out as they hear Lucy speak.

"Who?", Storm asks.

Juvia and Happy sigh.

" _Zeref_ ," Lucy answers.

"You know Zeref? I thought the name was some myth," Storm says.

"Damnit," Natsu curses aloud causing to make Gray glare at him for bringing the attention on himself.

"Natsu?", Lucy asks vaguely, but it's clear that her eyes give a bigger question.

 _Do you know something that I don't know?_

Natsu sighs.

"He's not dead," Natsu starts off.

"Natsu," Lucy says with a mixed feeling of confusion, anger, and surprise.

"During the war," this time it's Gray speaking, "after Natsu and I were finished fighting, we came face to face with Zeref."

Now it's time for Juvia to be confused.

"We couldn't defeat him," Natsu spoke. "I tried my fucking hardest, and I couldn't get a single hair off his body. He came unscathed."

"I thought I'd have a chance because I had my demon slayer magic, but nothing," Gray said.

"But I thought you told us-"

"Technically we never said we killed or defeated him. We said he was gone because he disappeared, but everyone assumed he died," Natsu said while turning his head away from Lucy. "I'm sorry. I just figured that we'd be okay since he never bothered us these past years, and I didn't want to bring back bad memories."

"It's okay, Natsu. You can't take back the past. All we can do is to protect the future for everyone," Lucy says.

"You're right. Let's try to find Luke and Nashi," Natsu says with a nod.

"But Akumu disappeared with Luke out of thin air. He didn't run off. You won't be able to sniff them out," Storm says.

"Good thing we have a bunch of bookworms in the guild who could help out," Natsu turns to Lucy.

"I'm sure Levy will be glad to help along with Gale," Lucy nods.

"Great," Storm says.

They all turn to go back to the others as quickly as they can to inform the guild about the unfortunate events.

Lucy grabs ahold of Natsu's hand as they're running which causes him to whip his head quickly towards her way.

"I promise to protect the future for everyone," Natsu says to Lucy.

Lucy doesn't look satisfied, though.

"What's wrong?", Natsu asks.

"I know it sounds selfish, but I'm worried about you more than everyone else," Lucy admits.

"What do you mean?", Natsu asks with confusion. "I can protect myself."

"What if you come face to face with Zeref again, and you still can't defeat him. What if instead of disappearing he does worst and-"

"I'm not dying for a long time," Natsu interrupts. "I'm not quite old enough to die. I want to at least see how you'll look like when you're 80." He grins, but Lucy keeps her frown.

"You're not immortal, Natsu. I just... I just worry sometimes, okay? Ever since that war, I've been scared," she admits. "Our old master Makarov..." she trails off, "and everyone was so injured. Everyone packed a new pair of scars all over their bodies. I don't want that to happen again."

"Gramps died saving the guild," Natsu tests out his words. "and if I had to, I'd die for you and the guild, but I'm not dying as long as I have a choice, Lucy. I won't do that to you. Besides, I'm way stronger than I was before. I bet I'm even stronger than Igneel was."

"Promise me," Lucy whispers.

"I promise that I won't die," Natsu says with no hesitation.

"Remember that celestial wizards take promises very seriously," Lucy reminds.

"Good because I don't plan on breaking it," Natsu says.

Lucy smiles, and that leaves Natsu intent on never allowing her to frown again.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** ** _Thank you for the kind reviews. They motivate me to write every single chapter. :)_**

 **Spoiler Alert:** ** _As a warning for those of you who don't read the most recent manga chapters, I want to say that there are going to be a lot of_** ** _spoilers_** ** _in this chapter. Read at your own risk._**

* * *

 **8**

* * *

The group of Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Gray, Juvia, and Storm all informed their master, Erza, first of the deplorable fate that was bound to happen. Erza struck frozen at the memories of the war. No one wanted to be reminded of such crisis again, but to be told that it could happen again, it wasn't the loveliest fact to hear. Her mind drifted off to her mother. After Fairy Tail surprisingly won (if they could call it a victory with how many people were injured), she couldn't help but be saddened with the backstory of her mother despite her want for taking "revenge" on Erza. She was tortured, and for hundreds of years, her body stayed being in the form of a dragon. Her desperation of being human once again brought her to the brink of insanity.

Erza was relieved to see someone against Fairy Tail being defeated, but it didn't dull the pain of watching her own mother kill herself after only knowing her for a few minutes. In fact, Erza started to receive nightmares of the dreadful memories of that fight. For the first time in a long time, Erza felt _weak_. Perhaps weaker than she felt in the Tower of Heaven as a child. She couldn't escape the feeling that she was the reason for her mother's pain for so many years.

Although one day, Erza decided to quit swimming in her guilt and take a job. Of course, no ordinary job request would do. She grabbed an S-class job, went to Mira to accept it, and hurried out of the guild before anyone could ask about her strange behavior. Everyone at the guild seemed to have been disappointed at watching their new master (everyone chose out Erza because she seemed fitting for the job; Laxus didn't want to be master) leave once again, but Erza figured that it'd help her mind stay off of the war more than staying at the guild and stress-eating strawberry cake.

While on the job, she managed to become distracted by the scarlet color of a flower while fighting a bandit which threw her off course. Erza fell to the ground with a sword centimeters away from her neck which continued to creep forwards as she couldn't keep her mind in place. All she could see was the face that her mother made when Erza was also in the same position during the war. In her mind, she knew that she needed to snap out of it, but her body wouldn't budge with the raging fear inside of her. She just closed her eyes willingly until they blinked open when the pain never came.

 _Jellal._

The wizard of dark magic came face to face with Erza in surprise. He reached out a hand which Erza took graciously to help her stand up. Erza blushed in the embarrassment of Jellal watching her act up like so when she could've died. Out of instinct, she quickly covered her face with her hands, but Jellal came closer. She took a gasp of surprise when his hands wrapped around her in a comforting manner.

"Jellal," Erza whispered.

"Are you okay?", he asked in concern.

"Yeah," Erza breathed. "Yeah, I am."

Jellal didn't answer but instead released his hold of Erza as if she shocked him and left her feeling cold and empty.

"Sorry, I suppose that was inappropriate of me," Jellal turned his back to Erza.

Erza frowned at his words but decided to change the topic. "What were you doing around here?" She turned her head expecting Meredy or Oracion Seis.

"I suppose the same reason as you," he answered.

"Catching those bandits?", Erza asked.

Jellal nodded. "They've been reported for selling these drugs called Rhodonite which enhances any ability of power for a mage and numbs pain. They're also known for being a part of a dark guild, so I wanted to check it out."

"I'm glad you did," Erza said, "I might not be here."

"I owe you so much, Erza. It's least I could do," Jellal spoke earnestly.

Erza opens her mouth to speak but quickly closes it.

"You can trust me if you want to let me know of anything," Jellal said.

"I haven't been quite myself lately," Erza vaguely said.

"I did find it strange how you allowed the bandit to hold a sword up so close to you," Jellal's eyes hardened at the memory.

Erza didn't answer but instead leaned her head on Jellal's shoulder.

"Are you tired?", Jellal asked.

"Yeah, I should probably go. Thanks for-", Erza tried to pull away from Jellal but he held onto her arm.

"Uh...", Jellal quickly released her wrist, "Yeah, sorry about that."

Erza smiles at Jellal's ability to be so flustered easily.

"I'm too tired to walk anyway. Is it fine if I sleep here?", Erza asked.

Jellal seemed to hesitate in answering the question his heart screamed _YES!_ for and his mind screamed _NO!_ for.

 _I will allow myself to make this one sin._

"Yes," he answered, but it was quite obvious to Erza that he was tense.

"You don't have to be so reserved around me, Jellal," Erza spoke.

Jellal sighed. "I just want to make sure you're happy."

"I'd be happier if you allowed yourself to be happy," Erza spoke.

"You'd be much better off with someone else, Erza," Jellal stated.

Erza frowned. "No, I wouldn't. You understand me the most, Jellal."

"But I've done so much to you-"

"You were controlled during the Tower of Heaven, and I forgive you," Erza interrupted.

"Just give me more time, Erza," Jellal pleaded.

"I'm afraid that if I wait any longer, there won't be any more time for me to wait," Erza turns to lean up towards Jellal.

"Erza...", Jellal breathed out while uncontrollably moving his head toward Erza's.

"Jellal," Erza whispered as she moved her head closer.

"Oh, there you are Jellal!", a familiar voice is heard close by which causes Jellal to push Erza back _again_.

"Meredy," Jellal stated with a look of irritation shown on his face.

"Did I interrupt you two? I'll just come back later-"

"Don't," Erza shook her head with a smile. "Thank you, Jellal. Bye."

"Bye, Erza," Jellal said.

"It was nice seeing you again," Meredy smiled.

Erza smiled back before turning to leave the woods and back toward the guild.

 _'Why am I not surprised?',_ Erza thought with a small laugh.

* * *

After being informed of the news, Erza quickly found Levy and her son, Gale, to help research where Akumu could've taken Luke. They gathered up the locations of the last headquarters from about two decades ago in order to guess where they could be which is better said than done. It most certainly isn't an easy task when it comes to looking where Tartaros are. Because of the cube location that had before, it would be difficult for them to figure out the exact area.

"We're trying our best, but we can't make any connections yet. We don't have enough information," Levy says by the end of the week at the guild.

The news caused the whole guild to forget about the Grand Magic Games. Everyone was worried, so they decided to withdraw which caused Sabertooth to lose a lot of their spark also since they wanted to compete against Fairy Tail as always.

"It's even worse with Zeref having to be the one who disappeared during the war. We have no clue where they could've gone," Gale adds with an obviously frustrated groan.

"Damnit," Storm curses. Everyone's attention snaps over to him. "Because of me, I couldn't save Luke."

"If there's anything I know about Luke, it's that he never goes down without a fight," Erza says while placing a hand on his shoulder. She still has bright scarlet hair with more mature features because of her aging.

"Master?", Storm asks with slight surprise.

After years of getting used to the title of " _Master_ ", Erza learned to adjust to the new name. At first, she couldn't imagine replacing Master Makarov, but after many words of encouragement from her guildmates, she snapped out of it and realized she needed to be confident in herself to make sure Makarov didn't die in vain.

Gray speaks, "Luke is as stubborn as his parents. There's no way that we can lose hope when he's there waiting for us."

"Quit acting like he's dead because he sure as hell isn't or else I'll kill him," Natsu grins.

"Language," Lucy scolds as she notices Wendy's child, Venetia, who is 12 standing in the room.

Venetia immediately notices Lucy's glance and scowls. "I'm not that young," she mutters.

"Sorry about her attitude," Wendy quickly apologizes causing her daughter to roll her eyes.

Lucy sends a look that says, ' _It's fine._ '

"The kiddo is only 12. Don't be so tense, Lucy," Natsu grins causing Venetia to nod with him. They both look a special liking to each other because of their magic. Venetia inherited fire magic from her father, and her flames are very delicious to Natsu. She likes him because he doesn't treat her like a kid like everyone else at the guild.

"Only mothers understand," Lucy and Wendy both mumble in unison.

Levy continues on with the Tartaros conversation. "We're close, but we need more. Whatever you know, don't hold back! We need to know."

Everyone murmurs to each other, but no one has any idea either.

"Damnit," Gale curses.

"It's going to be okay, Gale," Levy rubs his back.

"I wish I could be better at this," Gale groans.

"It's just like a math problem without the numbers. We can't solve it because we don't know enough information. Don't try to put yourself at fault. Right now, Fairy Tail is against Tartaros not you," Levy says encouragingly.

"But it feels like we're missing something," Gale says. "He's been gone for a week now."

"You can't just pull imaginary calculations out of your ass," Gajeel grumbles. "How about we send a team of people to search around?"

"I think that would be-", Erza is interrupted when the guild doors suddenly open.

Natsu mutters, "That smell... It's familiar."

The doors reveal bruised up teenage boy/ young man panting. "Nashi...", he speaks.

"What about her?", Natsu asks harsher than he intended.

"She... Tartaros... demon... Zeref...", he starts mumbling out words as he tries to catch his breath before collapsing.

"I think he was our missing information," Levy states.

"He is," Natsu says as he scoops up the fallen person and takes him to the infirmary for Wendy.

"When he wakes up, we need him here as soon as possible," Gale says to Wendy.

"Got it," she nods.

Grisam wakes up and finds himself in a stranger's bed in a room with a few more beds. Everything else he notices is his raging headache that won't seem to go.

"Great!", a voice speaks in a happy tone, "You're awake!" His head turns quick expecting a certain pink-haired girl to show up, but it's a blue-haired woman.

But then he remembers everything. Zeref wasn't going to be planning anything nice.

"Fairy Tail," he muses.

"That's us," Wendy smiles. "You only have a few bruises, but you collapsed from working your body too much. Did you run all the way here?"

"Yeah," he nods. "Nashi was taken by Tartaros."

"Huh?", Wendy asks with slight horror.

"What's wrong?", Grisam asks.

"They also took her brother, Luke," Wendy explains.

"Why would they need the both of them?", Grisam asks.

"I'm not so sure. Zeref is a really intelligent person no matter how evil he is. Everything he does is by logic," Wendy says.

"Well, I gotta go tell everyone," he tries to move off the bed, but Wendy blocks his way.

"You're still injured, and you overworked your body. Rest," Wendy orders.

"No," Grisam retorts. "It's all my fault that Nashi got taken in the first place. Let me help her."

Wendy doesn't respond, but she moves out of the way for Grisam. Grisam notices how sore his feet are for running such a distance but ignores it. How did Nashi manage to walk/ run everywhere she went? He didn't know.

Grisam becomes slightly intimidated by all the strong mages of Fairy Tail watching him as he comes out of the infirmary. He knew that he is great with his limbs and gadgets, but he doesn't have magic like them. _Does Nashi feel this way whenever she's at the guild?_

"Are you okay?", a woman with blonde hair and honest brown eyes says.

"You're Nashi's mom," Grisam states. He knew those eyes from anywhere.

"How'd you know?", Lucy asks with a small laugh.

"Your eyes," he answers.

"So can you tell us all what happened?", Lucy asks.

Grisam nods and takes a breath as everyone starts crowding around him to listen.

"Okay...", Grisam starts off.

* * *

 _Grisam woke up in a cell of some sort, and damn, it was freezing cold. 'Don't they have a heater?', Grisam though with a scowl._

 _He sighed while indulging the memories of how he got there in the first place. He felt like an idiot. Not only did he get himself caught, but Nashi might be stuck in another cell or even worse... No, he didn't believe that she was... You can't bring Nashi down easily. He knew that._

 _"Now we have the pink-haired Dragneel," a person spoke._

 _Grisam took a look through the bars and noticed a woman with ginger hair speaking into a lacrima on her wrist._

 _"Now I can continue with the plan," a deep voice transmitted from the lacrima._

 _Grisam's eyes widened in recognition._ Zeref _._

 _"Of course, Lord Zeref," the woman said with a wicked grin._

 _They're done speaking which leaves Grisam to figure out how the hell he's gonna get out of this hellhole._

 _That's when he felt the rocking of the floor. Where exactly was he? He assumed that it was in a dungeon underground, but now..._

 _He was on a boat._

 _Grisam cursed._

 _He stood up and paced the floor while thinking of an escape plan._

 _Suddenly, a strong rock to the side allowed a certain set of keys to fall into his cell. Grisam quickly grabbed them and couldn't help but smile in satisfaction._

 _Damn, he was lucky._

 _He took the keys and unlocked his cell door without another moment to think. Maybe what he was going to do is stupid, but at the time, Grisam didn't seem to care. 'Nashi is definitely rubbing off of me', Grisam thought with a small chuckle. He climbed swiftly up the set of ladders and onto the top of the boat._

 _His eyes took a moment to adjust to the blinding light outside but not too long that he couldn't avoid an attack coming his way._

 _"Imbecile human!", the woman from before yelled._

 _"I don't think that I'm all that dumb if I managed to escape," Grisam grinned cheekily. He didn't waste another second to jump into the water and start swimming. He was thankful yet confused when she didn't jump in after him._

 _"I should just let him be. He isn't worth of my time," the woman spoke with disinterest._

 _Grisam found it strange how warm the water seemed to be when the air was so cold, but he figured he shouldn't question it. It surprisingly didn't take long to get back to shore because they just left when he woke up. Once on land, there's no one else, so Grisam quickly squeezed out the water from his clothing to move easier._

 _'What do I do now?', Grisam thought._

 _Instantly, the answer came to him:_ Fairy Tail _._

 _Of course! He should go to Fairy Tail. With how Nashi spoke about them, they were bound to figure something. Right? If not already, they may be trying to figure out where Nashi is._

 _Grisam first needed to determine where he was first. What he knew so far was that he was on a beach and... and... that's all._

 _He looked around and noticed a sign._

Property of Lamia Scale

Any trespassers will be punished

 _That's when he heard footsteps leading up to him. Grisam turned to spot a group of three people. They were all older but very different except for the normal older man with white spikey hair and an intense expression on his face. The other seemed to be sporting no hair other than the long braid on his head and thick eyebrows. The last reminded Grisam of a dog with his beast-like features._

 _"And who might you be on Lamia Scale's property?", 'thick-eyebrows' asked._

 _"Yeah! Didn't you read the sign! Any trespassers will be punished!", 'dog-man' yelled before pulling out his green long claws._

 _"Calm down Yuka and Toby. I'm sure he has a perfectly good reason. At least, he should unless he wants to be given the punishment," the man with spikey hair spoke._

 _"I need to see Fairy Tail about...", he hesitated. Would it be such a great idea to tell these people about... "Tartaros."_

 _All three tense up clearly to Grisam at the mention of the Demon Guild's name._

 _The man who first dared to inquire Grisam normally sent a wave of birds towards his way._

 _It took Grisam a moment to react. For that reason, his body received a few cuts from the ice, but nothing too deep to do harm._

 _"I just answered your question! What was that for?!", Grisam yelled._

 _"You're a liar," he answered while sending another attack causing Grisam to swiftly move to the side and run up to hand over a punch of his own to the man._

 _"I'm not lying!", Grisam shouted as his fist comes so close to his face._

 _But he blocked the attack with ease. "Zeref and Tartaros have long been gone since the war and before."_

 _"I saw Tartaros with my own eyes! What can I do to convince you?!", Grisam pulled his fist back and gave a raging kick to his side. Although, the man grabbed his leg and threw him to the ground causing Grisam to groan in pain._

 _"Nothing can convince me of your lies," the man answered._

 _Grisam grits his teeth. He tried another attack, but without his gadgets, he wasn't any good. The man effortlessly knocked him back down._

 _"I've been training for my whole life as a mage," he glanced at Grisam with an expression of disinterest. "There's no way you'll beat me so just_ give up _."_

 _Yuka sneered at Grisam, "Lyon is right. Besides, it's clear you aren't a holder of magic, intruder."_

 _Grisam clenched the fist by his side with frustration. He didn't have time for these stubborn mages who refused to listen. "I won't give up because Nashi Dragneel was taken by Tartaros, and I know she's trying her hardest. So I'm going to try my hardest", he says out of desperation._

 _"Natsu and Lucy's daughter?", Lyon thinks aloud to himself while smiling slightly as how much this 'Grisam' guy seemed to have the spirit of a Fairy Tail mage though evident he wasn't one._

 _"Please, I need to know where Fairy Tail is or else I'll have to beat my question into your stupid brain!", Grisam yelled hoping that his plea would reach his ears._

 _"Okay, I'll tell you-"_

 _"Are you sure you want to tell this intruder the instructions to Fairy Tail?", Yuka asked with disbelief._

 _"What if he's just trying to steal Fairy Tail's socks?", Toby questioned with his obvious nightmares showing through. Despite his cold-hearted exterior, even Lyon was affected by the cruel act that happened to his comrade at the GMG years ago._

 _Lyon decided to ignore his guildmates this time, and continued, "Head north of the shoreline of the beach until you reach the city of Hargeon. From there-"_

 _"Alright, thank you a lot!", Grisam said to waste no time in reaching the Fairy Tail guild._

 _Maybe Grisam wasn't the strongest, but he knows he's strong enough to save Nashi and fate of the world from Zeref's worst will._

* * *

After the telling of the past events from awhile ago, Levy is stuck with a grin from cheek to cheek while Gale has a small smile due to his reserved state of showing emotions like his father.

"I'm sorry that Nashi got kidnapped by Tartaros. I never intended for that to happen-"

"Thank you thank you thank you thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!", Levy says very cheerfully which surprises Grisam. The voice was so bubbly that he almost mistook it for Nashi's. The keyword: Almost. There's no way that anyone could sound as lively and spontaneous as Nashi.

"Why...", Grisam trails off with confusion.

"We're able to figure out where Luke and Nashi are now, stupid," Gale points out making Levy scold him at calling people names again. He ignores his mother and continues. "You told us it was in the water off a beach of Lamia Scale's property."

"I see," Grisam nods.

"Even if you're upset at yourself for allowing this to happen to Nashi," a girl with light blonde hair with the taken name of Nova grabs Grisam's attention. "Maybe we should be glad you were able to come and tell us these things. You were the missing factor to figuring out where the two are."

"I hate how they took both Luke and Nashi," Grisam hears a deep voice mutter from behind him.

He turns around and sees the almighty Natsu Dragneel that is Nashi's father and a legend not just to all but for dragon slayers as well.

Immediately, the pink-no, wait, it's salmon-headed mage's onyx eyes lower down to Grisam's green ones with a slight hint of curiosity in them.

"You're that smell," he muses.

"What smell?", Grisam asks before remembering about how strong Nashi's senses were. Maybe she inherited that from her dad?

"These treasure hunters I encountered a long time ago," Natsu answers.

"I am a treasure hunter; a member of Sylph Labyrinth," Grisam rolls up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a guild mark.

"Now I understand why Nashi would hang out with you," Natsu says.

"How come?", Grisam asks.

"You two don't have magic-", Natsu is interrupted by a chop on his head.

"Natsu!", Lucy hisses at him. "You don't just bluntly say things like that."

"You don't? Did I say something wrong? I don't get it," Natsu shake his poor head in confusion.

"Yeah," Grisam nods not bothering to deny it. "Nashi got pretty upset after what happened during the games, and I decided to help train her this week."

"Why help her?", Natsu asks while leaning closer to Grisam which starts to make him feel uncomfortable.

"Uh... what?", Grisam asks.

"Why did you train her?", Natsu restates his question.

Grisam tries to keep a strong unsuspicious look in his eye as Natsu stares at him, but as Natsu is backing away, he slips.

He coughs to try to cover up the skeptical look of Natsu, but it only made worse. "I don't know," Grisam answers with genuine honesty which makes them both more confused. Initially, he had a reason. Now, he still had a reason but not the same one.

"You're not all that bad with lying, but never do it around me especially when it concerns Nashi," Natsu says in a small whisper which only made it more intimidating to Grisam.

With the way Nashi spoke about Natsu, he didn't expect him to be this scary. Then again, Natsu is known for being the strongest dragon slayer because of some reason.

"Y-Yes sir," Grisam stutters out weakly.

"Good," Natsu suddenly grins with a smile that again reminds him of Nashi.

Thankfully, a voice from before brings him out of his thoughts. "We have an estimation where Luke and Nashi are," Levy announces.

Everyone in the guild cheers.

"So where?", Lucy asks.

" _Tenrou Island_ ," Levy answers.


	9. Chapter 9

**N I N E**

* * *

Nashi woke up with a slight headache. She tried to rub her head but her limbs were restrained. Opening her brown eyes very slowly, she freaks out when she spots Luke on the other side of the room chained to the wall mirrored to her. In fact, she screams in terror. Where is she?

Luke groans in response.

What last happened? Oh yeah, this creepy beastly guy drained her of her energy. She's never felt so tired before in her life. She's exhausted.

"Luke!", Nashi speaks loudly with the little amount of energy left in her.

Luke's eyebrows furrow in reply.

"Wake up!", Nashi shouts.

His eyes pop open suddenly as if he's been shocked. "N... Nashi?", Luke mutters with a tired tone.

"Where the hell are we?", Nashi asks.

"I don't fucking know," Luke replies with an angrier and soberer tone. "Whoever did this to us is gonna have some hell to pay!"

"After I get some sleep...", Nashi closes her eyes.

"What's wrong? You never get tired. Mom still has to read you a bedtime story to calm you down at night," Luke snickers.

"I... I... I don't... know...", Nashi mumbles out. The chains on her limbs are very uncomfortable, but she couldn't care less. All she wanted was sleep.

Luke opens his mouth to speak again, but a door interrupts him by slamming open to reveal a man with pitch black hair and eyes.

Even Nashi, whose energy is collapsing, lets her eyes widen at the power she senses from the person.

"I've been stuck in here for Mavis knows how long without food or water!", Luke screams at him. "Where am I!"

The man ignores him but keeps a small soft smile on his face.

Nashi would yell too but she's so damn tired...

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO NASHI!", Luke roars at him as he tries pulling at the chains.

"No...", Nashi shakes her head. "Stop... please..."

"NO NASHI! CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING?!", Luke continues to struggle in the restraints. It was already bad enough that they didn't give food or water to him these past days. Now, they bring in Nashi looking all sick and tired, and they expect him to be alright with it? _Hell. No_.

"YOU SICK BASTARD! LET US GO!", Luke yells.

"You're just going to...", Nashi takes a breath, "hurt yourself."

"I'M NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL THEY RELEASE US!", Luke protests loudly as he thrashes around.

"I've come to tell you it will all be over soon. Have patience, young Dragneels," the man speaks in a deep voice.

"Let me go, and we'll fight this out like real men and see who deserves to go home!", Luke proposes.

"Don't worry," the man peers into Luke's brown eyes with a certain coldness of sadness that makes him visibly uncomfortable. "You will both be the mages to kill me as my final will."

Nashi coughs. "Kill... you...?"

The man turns his head towards Nashi with a slightly larger smile. "Yes. I've been awaiting my death for over 400 years. It's time for it all to come to an end."

"Then why can't you just go ahead and kill yourself?", Luke asks in a tone of confusion with Nashi wondering the same question.

"I'm afraid that I've been cursed," he starts off. "You see. I'm Zeref, the dark wizard. The one who has immortality."

"Zeref?", Nashi mumbles out with surprise. She's heard rumors and old stories about him but didn't know he was real. Let alone that he would bother kidnapping her and Luke.

"I thought you were supposed to already be dead," Luke states.

"Oh, I wish I were, but it seems I'm here yet again with another plan," Zeref speaks. "Your father failed to defeat me, so I'm choosing the both of you as the next to seal the deal."

"Our dad wasn't able to kill you?", Luke asks.

"Even with the extra power I gave him, he couldn't land a single scratch on me before my body disappeared by itself," Zeref answered.

 _Power?_

Luke opens his mouth to ask, "Why have Nashi here? She can't use magic."

"No, you're wrong," Zeref shakes his head. "She does have magic. In fact, too much that her body has forced it to be stored away. If it wasn't, she'd be close to what I am except mortal."

"Huh?", Nashi's eyes widen a little.

"Your true power hasn't awakened. When it does, everyone you touch will be about as close as vaporizing can become. You're the center of destruction with that power," Zeref explains.

"No... I...", Nashi shakes her head with disbelief. "There's no way! You can't just say this whole time that I've been a wizard!"

"But you are, Nashi Dragneel," Zeref spoke. "You are the most powerful wizard to have ever been birthed. You have the potential. Too bad it'll all go down the drain."

"What do you mean it'll all go down the drain?", Luke asks with confusion.

"When I die, Nashi shares the same fate as I do," Zeref answers.

"Sh-She dies?", Luke stutters in slight fear.

"You and your father also," Zeref says. "We are all intertwined in the same path of pain."

A sudden light comes from Nashi's side of the wall, and Luke's eyes widen at the sight of Nashi.

"I will never allow you to take away my family's lives like that!", Nashi yells as she breaks through the chains as if snapping a pencil in two.

"I see her power is now just starting to come out," Zeref muses. "It's a little early, but my plan will still work just as fine."

Nashi screams in agony as the power becomes too much for her to handle. She drops to the ground with a _thud_.

"Nashi!", Luke tries to reach out to her but with the chains, he's useless. "Damnit!"

"It's better off to not touch her during this. She could kill you by a simple poke of a finger," Zeref states.

She shakily stands up, and Luke tries not to cry himself as her tears drip to the ground. "Figure out another way to die! A way that doesn't make all of us die!"

"Nashi...", Luke mumbles. He feels so guilty that he can't do anything. He'd give anything to kick that Zeref guy straight to where he came from.

"I afraid there's isn't," Zeref says. "Death is waiting for us all."

Luke watches as Nashi's fists clench. She wants to kill Zeref, but then her dad and brother will die. If she doesn't, Zeref will continue down this path of planning out his death until he does.

"I see you do think before upon acting unlike your father," Zeref states.

"Only because my family's lives are at stake," Nashi growls out. Luke's eyes widen as he senses Nashi's magic power.

"Death is a vicious cycle that continues on for everyone except me," Zeref says. "I'm done with this sick game of life."

"Well, you'll just have to wait your turn because I'm not!", Nashi yells.

Zeref pauses as if remembering an important detail. "If I do recall, I think there is a way for at least one to be saved."

* * *

Levy's answer rings through everyone's ears.

"Tenrou Island?!", Lucy asks with a million mixtures of emotions: Anger, Pain, Sadness, Happiness (of finding out where Luke and Nashi are), Shock, Disbelief... and the list can go on and on.

"Zeref is using our own island for his own personal use!", Natsu roared with anger.

"I thought the island was destroyed by Acnologia," Lucy says with her disbelief.

"Mom's calculations are never wrong," Roxy slurs while sitting next to Kana with a drink in hand.

"What are we waiting for? Aren't we gonna go already?", Natsu asks with his foot impatiently tapping the ground which makes Grisam smile a little.

 _'I was wondering if we could at least walk around. My legs don't want to stay still,' Grisam watched as Nashi gave him a hopeful look._

 _He took a glance at her feet and sure enough, they were tapping impatiently. 'Sure,' he agreed while figuring that there's no way around Nashi in cases like these._

Grisam whips his head around to see where those voices came from but ended up disappointed when it was his mind as always.

"We need a plan first, idiot!", Lucy yells at Natsu.

Natsu grumbles under his breath until his notices the expression Grisam is wearing.

"Why the long face?", Natsu asks which confuses Grisam as to why he should care.

Grisam merely shrugs.

"It won't be long until you see Nashi," Natsu says in a whisper to Grisam.

"I wasn't thinking about her!", Grisam whisper-yells his defense.

"I thought I told ya not to lie to me when it concerns Nashi," Natsu sternly says.

"Uh... A-Aye!..?..!", Grisam says with obvious uncertainty.

Natsu snickers which made Grisam red with anger.

"Shut up!", Grisam speaks up louder which causes everyone to look at them.

"You wanna fight?!", fire spews out of his mouth as he speaks excitedly which slightly scares Grisam.

Despite the nagging logical part of his brain, his pride got the best of him and his mouth moved before his brain could, "You're on!"

"No, Natsu. Don't fight-", but Lucy's attempts are too late when his knocks out Grisam with one punch.

"That should get him some nice sleep," Natsu chuckles before turning to everyone else. "I'm still fired up! Who wanna go at me?!"

Most everyone shrinks back in fear of being knocked out by Natsu. Despite years ago of Natsu struggling against many, he's grown stronger to be on par with Erza and sometimes Gildarts if he were serious enough. Yet, only one mage really yearns for the fight. "You're on flame brain!", Gray yells.

And another, "What about me, Salamander?!", Gajeel shouts.

"I'm gonna beat you two!", Natsu declares.

"Says the person who lost to me last time," Gray snickers.

"That was a tie, Stripper!", Natsu protests.

"Wait...", a voice mumbles out weakly.

Everyone's attention turns to the teenage boy on the ground with his hand on his head.

"I never really understood before why Nashi was so adamant on fighting, but now, I understand," Grisam gets up which surprises a few people but not Natsu. He knew his potential from the beginning. Obviously, he can tell when someone is actually sleeping.

"How come?", Lucy asks with pure interest.

"Because she enjoys fighting," Grisam explains. "Despite not having magic or being the strongest member of Fairy Tail, she doesn't care. That must be why she gets upset when you guys take away the one thing that she loves away from her. I thought she just wanted to prove a point, but now I know she also wants you to fight _with_ her, not _for_ her."

Lucy nods with understanding while Natsu feels slightly guilty at being so dense he couldn't see how Nashi truly felt. He was so determined to protect Nashi, but all he did was take away fighting, one of the things she loves.

"I suppose I'll just fight in her place until you bring her back," Grisam tries to lighten up the the mood by grinning and settling into a fighting stance.

Despite the courageous determination that could beat Lucy's, Natsu knew he'd need a lot more training to win against him.

"I'm all fired up!", Natsu yells upward into the ceiling which turns the wood into ash on top of them. "Oops...", he trails off.

"Natsu," Erza gives a scary look at Natsu.

"Lucy!", Natsu quickly runs behind said celestial mage who sweats in the sight of the scary Erza.

"So you're going to let me die as a shield," Lucy mutters.

"Yup!", Natsu answers back.

Grisam snickers at Natsu when Lucy mumbles, "Lame."

"Shut up!", Natsu shouts at him.

"You are paying and fixing the ceiling!", Erza says sternly.

"But my food money...", Natsu pouts.

"Now!", Erza barks out.

"Yes sir!", Natsu salutes to his master/ scary childhood friend before shouting out to his son/ pet/ friend, Happy.

Happy quickly flies over to Natsu, picks him up, and moves his wings seemingly faster than the speed of light.

"Your master can get really scary," Grisam says to Lucy.

"She's more lovable than you first expect although," Lucy smiles.

"So are we going to go save Nashi and Luke or...?", Grisam asks.

"Yeah," Lucy nods with a smile.

* * *

Grisam tensed up as he stood on the beach he's familiar with from before.

"Okay, guys, let's get on the boats," Lucy announced.

"Boat?", Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Gale, and Roxy all speak in unison.

Grisam tries not to burst out laughing when they crowd around Wendy asking for her spell, "Troia."

"I'm sorry, but I need to save my magic when we get to Tenrou island," Wendy says apologetically.

"Okay," they all groan with disappointment.

"Suck it up, flame brain," a certain half-naked mage appears.

"Somehow I feel sicker than I already was before," everyone worries at the green of Natsu's face.

"Wha- We aren't even on the boat yet!", Gray exclaims with disbelief.

"We aren't?", Natsu looks around and groans before holding his head. "It feels like my head got run over by a truck."

Grisam notices how Lucy plays with Natsu's hair. His muscles visibly relax causing Grisam to think about the action. _Would that work on Nashi?_

His sub-conscious responded. ' _Nah. She hates it when you play with her hair._ '

Grisam just nods to that, and everyone walks to the boats.

"Maybe I'll just swim!", Natsu tries to turn, but Lucy keeps a tight grip on his wrist.

"Don't you want to help Luke and Nashi?", Lucy asks with a frown.

"Yes," Natsu nods eagerly and picks up Lucy as he sits in the boat and places her down behind him.

Grisam decided to stay with Natsu, Lucy, and Happy since he felt the most comfortable with them despite Natsu's threats.

Natsu tried to hold it in, but he managed to throw up outside the boat and into the water.

"Natsu!", Lucy scolds.

"I want off this hell ride," Natsu groans as he leans back.

"Help us row the boat! The extra weight not doing its job isn't helping at all!", Lucy orders.

"But you're the fattest one here, Lucy," Happy says as he rows with all his might.

Grisam winces at the loud screams of Lucy at Happy.

"Oi, Lucy. Stop yelling. You're hurting my ears," Natsu speaks as if he's reading Grisam's mind.

"AGH!", Lucy groans loudly.

The rest of the boat ride stays quiet and boring as Lucy, Happy, and Grisam are rowing. Natsu decided it was best for him to not help row the boat because he threw up again after trying.

Grisam has realized why Nashi loved the guild so much. It's a fun, positive, and crazy guild while also being determined in cases such as these. He's sure that he may never see the word 'Fairy Tail' the same ever again.

They ended up at the shore of Tenrou Island, and Natsu was the first to leap off. "Sweet ground!", he kissed the sand. "My sweet, sweet ground!"

Lucy glares at the sand as Natsu stands back up. He notices the look on her face and laughs. "Are ya jealous of me kissing the ground?"

"No!", Lucy quickly yells with irritation. "I just hate that Zeref used this island."

"How come?", Happy asks with curiosity.

"For one, it's our guild's property," Lucy mutters. "Second, this is where Mavis's grave lays.

"Didn't Zeref know Mavis?", Natsu asks.

"Oh, yeah!", Happy nods. "They were all lovey-dovey until something weird happened to Mavis."

"Who's Mavis?", Grisam interrupts.

"She's our first guild master. We used to be able to see her ghost, but something happened to her body long before the war," Happy explains.

"That's certainly strange," Grisam muses.

"She was the coolest ever!", Natsu grins. "I remember one time in the Fairy Tail's hot tub, she was able to take my fire like it was nothing!"

"I still hate how you walked straight into the girl's room without thinking," Lucy sighs.

"Wha...", Grisam's eyes widen. He didn't know Natsu was a pervert.

"Erza called for me, and something could've been wrong. Besides, Erza would've murdered my ass if I didn't walk in," Natsu grins.

"You're so dense sometimes," Lucy rolls her eyes. "I'm still surprised you had kids with me."

Grisam holds in a laugh as Natsu frowns.

"I'm not. Why wouldn't I have kids with you, Lucy?", he says before grinning again, "I'm still aiming for 33!"

"We are not having 33 babies!", Lucy yells.

"Geez, I get it. Ya don't have to yell at me," Natsu groans while covering his ears.

"Are they always talking about having babies?", Grisam asks Happy who look bored out his mind.

"You get used to it since Lucy is a pervert," Happy answers.

"I'm not a pervert!", Lucy yells.

"I catch you staring at Natsu's butt all the time!", Happy points out.

"What the- Shut up, Happy!", Lucy shouts with a blushing face.

"Why are you looking at my butt? Is there something on it?", Natsu asks genuinely confused as he turns his back to check.

"He really is dense," Grisam mutters with disbelief.

"It doesn't matter," Lucy shakes her head.

"Natsu! Lucy!", voices say.

The group turns to face towards Erza, Gray, Juvia, and Storm.

"Do you have any idea where the others are located?", Erza asks.

"I'm not sure if they're here yet," Lucy answers.

"I see. We'll just wait," Erza nods.

"What? We can't 'just wait'!"

Erza's eyes widen when it isn't Natsu's voice saying so.

"The kiddo's right," Natsu says sheepishly out of fear of getting hurt.

"We have a plan. You can't expect us to barge in and think we're gonna defeat every enemy we come across. Often times, plans are important so everyone can be in sync with each other," Erza shakes her head at the idea.

"Luke's been in there for all week, and Nashi's been in there for a day. Do you want us to leave them there for a second more?", Grisam asks.

"What other choice do I have? I also have to make sure the guild comes out safe," Erza says.

"I think they'll be fine, Erza," Lucy speaks with the honesty that all her guildmates admired about her. "Any place where Natsu is, it's safe. _Unless we're on a job, and he's burning down buildings..._ " She whispers the last part to herself, but Natsu's lips quirk up at the thought.

"Go, Natsu and Grisam. You two better come back alive and well," Erza sternly orders.

"We will," Natsu nods with determination.

"Wait...", Grisam trails off into thought before speaking again, "I'm going with him?"

"Well, didn't you suggest it?", Storm intervenes.

"Uh, yeah," Grisam dumbly nods.

"Then go save Luke and Nashi," Storm waves his hand.

"Come on Grackim!", Natsu cheers and starts sprinting.

"Okay- Huh... My name is Grisam," Grisam quickly says.

"Got it," Natsu nods, "Grackim."

Grisam decides to just let it go with a sigh.

"Shouldn't I go with Natsu?", Happy asks with a small frown as he's watching Natsu's figure fade off into the distance.

"I have a feeling that they'll both be walking into a dangerous battle soon. With Grisam most-likely not battling as much as we do, Natsu already has a bit at his plate. I'm sure that he'd appreciate if you helped me out for the time being. You're the best flying talking blue cat I know," Lucy smiles at Happy who laughs at her.

"Weirdo. I'm the only flying talking blue cat you know," Happy points out with a small "idiot" that does not go unnoticed.

"Shut up!", Lucy yells at him and gives her infamous 'LUCY KICK!'

After a few more minutes of waiting, a huge crowd of everyone who wants to help Luke and Nashi are on the beach of Tenrou Island. They sketch up a new plan leaving Happy and Lucy to go through a certain area to check for any Tartaros members. Though not being a demon slayer, she's sure she could knock one down. Maybe she wasn't as physically strong as Natsu, but she would continue fighting for her guild if it meant enduring the worst pain.

Happy lifts her up as Lucy asks, "You ready?"

"Aye!"

* * *

Grisam observes how Natsu's face is scrunched up at he focuses on some invisible unknown thing. His head continues to whip back and forth over everything distractingly.

"Sorry to break your focus, but what are you doing?", Grisam walks over a fallen tree trunk.

"I'm trying to locate where Luke and Nashi would be. I can smell them, but it's kinda weird. They're all over the place," Natsu punches away a tree in front of him with his fire.

"What did that tree ever do to you?", Grisam sweats wondering if he'd ever do that to him.

"It was in my way," Natsu shrugs.

"Sounds like a good reason," Grisam says sarcastically. "Try walking around it."

"But then, you would've been in the way," Natsu points out.

"Ah- Right, right," Grisam nods vigorously. "Continue breaking trees, please."

"Okay...?", Natsu mutters, but suddenly, stills.

"Wha-"

"This way!", Natsu turns to the right with Grisam following behind.

"You found them?", Grisam asks.

"I did," Natsu answers.

"Then, let's go kick some Zeref butt!", Grisam grins eagerly.

* * *

"There is?!", Nashi exclaims with pure joy.

"Please take notice that I said it'll only kill one less person," Zeref says.

"Huh?", that broke both Luke's and Nashi's happiness.

"Your father held the strongest demon book within his soul until he destroyed the seed, but remnants still remain. These pieces can't affect Natsu's body, but it still makes him a part of me and entitled to dying with me when I come across that fate, but you two are a little different," Zeref explains. "With your mother being a bearer of light, you don't have pieces but rather magic of Natsu. If I could somehow fuse the two into one body, one of you wouldn't die."

"But we can't-", Nashi is interrupted when Luke speaks.

"Okay," he says.

"Dad is still going to die, Luke! You can't agree!", Nashi protests.

"For all we know, he could bluffing," Luke shrugs.

"How could you just not care like that?!", Nashi yells at him.

"I do care. That's why I'm agreeing!", Luke retorts loudly back.

"You're not thinking about...", Nashi trails off with a hard frown.

"Dad and I have some unspoken agreement to protect you no matter what," Luke says.

"Damnit, Luke! NO! You are not doing that to me, to the guild, or to yourself! NO WAY IN HELL!", Nashi stares sternly into Luke's eyes.

"What other chance do I have?", Luke mumbles.

"If we're gonna die, I rather we all do it together," Nashi quickly wipes away her evident sadness from her face.

"Nashi...", Luke frowns at his sister. He felt completely and utterly useless. It felt as if everything were his fault even though his brain knew it was that dark wizard.

"Because if you and Dad die without me, I'll be lonely," Nashi frowns. "Sure, I'll have Mom, the guild, and my new friend, Grisam, but you and Dad are what makes Mom happy and the guild fun. Without you guys, I'd be sad."

"Well, I'm afraid that that's the only way," Zeref says with no emotion.

"No," Nashi shakes her head. "There _has_ to be another way! I can feel it... Fairy Tail. They're fighting for us. We need to fight for them too!"

As if on cue, the ceiling melts and the room grows hot enough to melt Luke's chains, and Nashi looks up to see two figures. One that seemed obvious; another that seemed unlikely.

"Grisam?", Nashi asks with confusion.

They both land on the ground, and Grisam looks angry. He turns his head to face Nashi with softens slightly. "Hey, Nash."

"I see we meet again, brother," Zeref states which took everyone's attention.

"Brother?", Grisam asks while looking at Nashi. To him, she looked different. Well, she still had on the same clothes as before when she was taken, but now, there was power radiant off of her. He felt slightly intimidated even though it's Nashi who fights for good.

Nashi's eyes are wide showing that she didn't know a single thing about this either.

"When do I have to tell ya again? I'm not your fucking brother!", Natsu roars at him in a loud volume that deafens everyone for a second. The look on his face wasn't all happy sunshine rainbows either. No, it'd be an understatement to say he wore an expression of murderous rage at Zeref.

"I see you're angry," Zeref states the obvious.

"You don't touch my children with those disgusting hands! I'll burn them to ash!", Natsu raises up a lit fist to punch Zeref who waits eagerly.

"No, wait, Dad!", Nashi quickly protests which allows Natsu to pause and turn to Nashi shakily.

He immediately hugs Nashi, and she's taken aback from his sobbing on her shoulder.

"Dad...", Nashi mumbles.

"I'm so sorry I allowed this to happen to you."

Nashi frowns.

That wasn't Natsu speaking.

"Grisam, it wasn't your fault," she turns to him.

"Yes, it was! If I didn't suggest we go to the person who requested the job in the first place, we wouldn't be here," Grisam mutters.

"But then, my brother still would," Nashi gestures to Luke who has eyes narrowed at the two.

"Who is this?", Luke asks while eyeing him very carefully. This was the smell that took Nashi to his home because she slept in the rain.

"I'm Grisam," he introduces.

"Luke," he says back.

Natsu steps away from Nashi feeling slightly ashamed at crying in front of his opponent, but the thought of protecting everyone's future encourages him.

"I made a promise to Lucy a long time ago. One that I never forget every day," Natsu looks at Zeref who plainly looks back. "I will protect the future for everyone even if it kills me in the process."

"How would you feel if it also killed your two loved ones?", Zeref says subtlely.

"What?", Natsu asks with a confused expression.

"Again, when I die, you die," Zeref speaks.

"I know," Natsu responds stiffly. "I'm willing for that to happen if it means my family will be safe."

"But Luke and Nashi die as well," Zeref explains.

"No...", Natsu gives a shaky protest. "No, no, no, no, no..."

"No way," Grisam mutters with a shake of his head. "No way in hell."

Nashi turns to Grisam who sports another murderous gaze to Zeref like Natsu.

Zeref wears a look of boredom as he looks back at Grisam. "You are of no use here," his hand creates a dark glow which targets Grisam.

It takes a moment for Grisam to understand what's happening, and the darkness creeps closer to him.

A scene like this reminded Natsu when future Lucy died at future Rogue's filthy hands. He attempts to try and block the attack knowing that it wouldn't kill him as it would to Grisam, but he's about a second short. In a shock of horror, Natsu turns to see that Nashi had taken the blow straight to the side of her stomach.

"Nashi!", the three boys yell in unison as she collapses to the ground.

"She's too much like you. She acts on impulse," Zeref states.

"Shut up!", Natsu punches Zeref with a lit fist, but he blocks easily with his own magical power which causes an explosion.

Luke and Grisam both examine where she bleeding out. "Damnit, Nashi. You should've just let me take the blow, and now, you might die because of me," Grisam frowns and pushes some of her hair behind her ear.

"She won't be dying. If I know Nashi, she'll fight through it and pull through," Luke says to Grisam which only calms him the smallest bit.

"Come on, Nashi...", Grisam trails off.

* * *

 **A/N: _I want to start talking more in these notes because I feel as if I'm not showing how happy I am about people reading this fanfic. This story idea literally came to me in a dream, and it's been really fun to write. This is probably the hardest fanfic I've worked on so far, and I hope to improve so I can write more that you guys will like._**

 **Reviews:**

 **chica-flick: _Thank you so much for reading and reviewing on every chapter. You give me the motivation to write each and every chapter. :)_**

 **PraetorFable: _Thank you! I hope you stay for more._**


	10. Chapter 10

**T E N**

* * *

Nashi blinks awake to bright light that should've blinded her but didn't.

"Huh?", Nashi mumbles out as her eyes try to adjust to the light. She grows confused and anxious as the light still, surrounds her.

 _Just about when I understand something, I get all confused again_.

A short old man suddenly comes into view, and Nashi's eyes widened. _He smells like Nova and Laxus._ _Who is this person?_

"Hello," he smiles warmly.

Nashi can't help but smile back at how comfortable she felt around him. She had a gut feeling that he was important.

"Hi," Nashi greets.

"You're Nashi, yes?", he asks.

"That _is_ my name," Nashi grins at him.

"I can see a lot of your father in you," the man gives a small laugh.

"Not to be rude, but who are you?", Nashi inquires sheepishly.

"I suppose that I'm your great-grandfather in untechnical terms, but I'm also your 3rd, 6th, and 8th master of the Fairy Tail guild," the man answers.

"You were the master before Erza?", Nashi asks with amazement.

"I should've expected that Erza would take my place. She's a great leader," Makarov muses. "I hope she's keeping my children under control."

Nashi doesn't bother to question his sentence, but instead asks, "Do you exactly know what's happened to me?"

"Your magic caused me to appear in this very vivid dream of yours. I'm sure that I'm living in the very same dream," Makarov explains. His eyes scan around them despite the fact that there's nothing to see but light.

"My magic?", Nashi asks with disbelief.

"We both have the power of light," Makarov explains.

"I do? That's really cool!", Nashi exclaims.

"Do you remember what happened last?", Makarov asks.

"I do, but it's very bad news," Nashi shakes her head with a frown.

"What seems to be the problem?", Makarov mirrors her expression with concern.

"This Zeref guy is trying to die, but if he does, my dad, brother, and I all do too," Nashi explains briefly.

"Zeref?", Makarov mumbles quietly, but Nashi could see hear the anger in his tone.

"He's a bit of a weirdo if you ask me," Nashi mutters.

"He's the leader of the people I tried killing in the cost of my life", Makarov speaks.

"Oh yeah, you're dead... Does that mean I'm dead?!", Nashi starts to panic. "I can't die! I have so much to do, to learn, to... uh... EAT! Yeah! I want to try cooking more food! And-"

"Don't worry," Makarov interrupts which grabs Nashi's attention. "This is a dream like I stated earlier," he reassures.

"So I'm still alive?", Nashi asks.

Makarov returns a nod. "Very much so."

"Then, why am I here? Why did my magic send you to me?", Nashi asks.

"That's for you to answer for yourself," Makarov shrugs. "You're going through a rough time, child."

"Doesn't mean that I get to be confused all over again," Nashi grumbles. "Besides, I'm sure they're all fine without me. I'm useless anyway with magic."

"When you join Fairy Tail, everyone becomes family. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. Do you know Gajeel Redfox and Juvia Lockser?", Makarov asks.

Nashi nods.

"They were both a part of the dark guild Phantom Lord who tried attacking the guild for your mother, but even past that, Gajeel and Juvia became the guild's best fighters and loyal to the guild," Makarov smiles at the memory of them.

"Woah, really?", Nashi's eyes widen with surprise.

Makarov nods and looks away from Nashi as if he's thinking about the past.

"Being a Fairy Tail member doesn't mean you're perfect. Everyone's far from perfect, but it means that you'll try your best every day with everything you got. Right now, you need to wake up and fight for the guild. Your comrades are out there fighting for you and Fairy Tail. Use this amazing new power you have for the good of others. Fairy Tail does need you. If they didn't, they would've never tried looking for you," Makarov says.

"I don't even know how to use my magic," Nashi frowns.

"It's your time to test it out then. Go as the celestial dragon slayer and fight for your family, your friends, and most importantly, Fairy Tail," Makarov starts to fade at the last word.

"Wait! Don't leave yet! I don't know how to wake up!", Nashi calls out. "And you're a pretty swell guy! Don't go great-grandpa!"

"Yes, you do. You've known this whole time, and if you don't, you're smart enough to figure it out. Believe in yourself and the guild. Never fail to put your trust in those two things. If your parents raised you well enough, I know you're a good person. Goodbye, Nashi," his short body disappears all the way this time and leaves Nashi confused and sad.

She shook her head. "Nashi, there's no time to be sad. You need to help your guild even if you die in the process!", she nodded her head as a certain idea came to her mind.

Nashi spread out her arms. "Time to eat like there's no tomorrow," Nashi says. She grabs light with her hand and grows amazed at the texture. "Pretty...", she mumbles fascinated. Her fingers plop it into her mouth, and she smiles.

"That's really good!", Nashi moans at the delightful taste. She continues to munch and munch until she feels dizzy with the flavor.

* * *

Natsu and Zeref continue with their brawling as Luke and Grisam leave the small building with an unconscious Nashi in search of Wendy.

Zeref's eyes widen in alarm as Luke and Nashi grow away from his sights. "You foolish-"

He's interrupted by an enormous flaming ball of fire in his path.

"Where do you think you're going?", Natsu says furiously. Zeref had already gotten away from him before. There's no way in hell that he's gonna do it again!

"Thanks, Dad", Luke calls out over his shoulder with a short grin before refocusing on the task at hand.

Zeref's eyes harden, "Natsu, I-", he interrupted by an instant punch to his cheek.

"I don't think I'm being clear enough with you," Natsu roughly grabs Zeref's shoulders and glares at him. "We're fighting right now, and I'm your opponent." Zeref's eyes widen at the literal flame he could see inside his pupils showing his evident anger.

"My brother, I don't have time for this!", his wrists swiftly flick to the side making Natsu fly off balance and up into the hard cold wall.

By the time Natsu is up and ready again, Zeref is gone.

"Damnit!", Natsu punches the stone wall of the building before he too runs out.

Meanwhile, Grisam sprinted surprisingly well with the weight of Nashi on his back while Luke stayed in the front to sniff out where Wendy could be.

"Do you have any idea where she could be?", Grisam asks as he takes a few moments of sniffing around.

"It's as if the direction of the wind is everywhere," Luke explains with slight frustration. "I smell her. I smell everyone that's on this island, in fact, but I can't figure out where."

Luke takes off in a direction, and Grisam quickly follows. "You found her?"

"No, but I can hear someone's footsteps, and they're traced with the same sound of Zeref's shoes," Luke answers.

"You better hurry up, then," Grisam speaks.

"You think I don't know that?", Luke retorts irritably.

As they're running, Luke ungracefully falls to the ground with a _thump_.

"Shit," Luke curses as he tries to stand back up.

"What's wrong?", Grisam asks as he adjusts Nashi on his back who unconsciously tugs in his shirt.

"Nothing," Luke answers and stands up. "I think my ankle will be fine now. Come on, let's keep going."

Luke is about to run when Grisam stops him. "We should just walk now. I think we lost Zeref." He's worried that his ankle may not end up too great if he's up and running again.

"No...", Luke's forehead crinkles with disappointment in himself, "We didn't."

Zeref walks into view with his normally expressionless face. Grisam takes note of how all the trees in his path wither away in the presence of the dark wizard.

"I'm not afraid to fight you," Luke lights up his fists.

"You cannot defeat me without your dear sister to help you," Zeref spoke.

Grisam gripped Nashi's legs tighter out of instinct.

"You," Zeref looks at Grisam straight in the eye. Grisam looks back with determination shown in his dark green eyes. "Hand her over."

"No way in hell," Grisam's eyes narrow at Zeref's pitch black ones. "Find some way to live in peace without bringing Nashi and everyone else in it."

"My curse can't allow me to be one with peace. I'm stuck with the permanent infliction of pain within my life," Zeref's eyes turn sorrowful.

"We don't care!", a familiar voice roars with fire hotter than the sun itself.

Grisam's eyes widen at the power being tossed at Zeref.

"I've never seen Dad like this before," Luke mumbles.

Zeref blocks the breath with his own dark power, and the two continue the previous fight.

"You've certainly grown stronger. Very strong," Zeref says to Natsu as he takes a swing.

"I've been training nonstop for all my life," Natsu responds when Zeref takes another one of his blows.

"Too bad that it's not strong enough," Zeref frowns.

"It will be!", Natsu yells and takes a deep breath to Zeref which he merely flicks away as if it were some feather floating to him.

"Only light can conquer the darkness," Zeref says as Natsu glares coldly at him.

"But isn't fire a form of light?", Grisam asks Luke. He shrugs in response.

As if answering his unheard question, Zeref says, "Fire can be found in the pits of hell. Only pure light can truly defeat me." Zeref sends a punch to Natsu's gut which makes him choke up blood as he hits the hard forest ground.

"Natsu!", a woman's voice screams.

Grisam and Luke all turn to see five figures running towards the fighting scene.

"Mom?", Luke mumbles.

Lucy's eyes trail from Natsu over to Luke. She runs up to him and hugs him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Luke blushes out of embarrassment of being hugged by his mother, but Grisam turns away from the scene with a small sad look on his face. Lucy was a nice mother.

"Not to be pessimistic, but we're far from okay," Natsu mutters from his spot on the hard ground

"Natsu!", Lucy releases Luke much to his satisfaction and runs to Natsu.

"I'm fine," Natsu gets up slightly wincing at the soreness of his limbs already and brushes the dirt off his pants.

But Natsu regrets saying those two words as Lucy starts to lecture him.

"Maybe Lucy Heartfillia could do it," Zeref considers quietly to himself, but Natsu catches the sentence with his special trained ears.

"No," Natsu growls at Zeref.

Zeref looks at Natsu. "Excuse me?"

"You cannot use Lucy for this," Natsu glares at Zeref.

"Her magic is the only way without your daughter, Natsu," Zeref says.

"What are you two discussing?", Erza steps into the conversation.

Natsu ignores the question and says, "No, it isn't. _I_ will kill you."

"You're not strong enough yet," Zeref sighs. "You can't. There's only one magic that can defeat me."

"Natsu," said mage turns to his blonde partner.

"Huh?"

"I'll defeat him," she smiles at him.

"No, you won't," Natsu frowns at her.

"Yes, I will," Lucy nods feeling her smile shrinking at Natsu's frown.

"You can't," Natsu shakes his head stubbornly.

"But I will for the sake of the guild," Lucy says with her eyes glowing in courage.

Lucy turns to Zeref, but Natsu grabs her arm. "No, Lucy."

"You can't tell me what to do, Natsu!", Lucy's voice grows louder with irritation.

"I can if I'm making sure you won't die on me," Natsu growls.

"I won't! You can trust me!", Lucy yells.

"I trust you, but I don't trust _him_ ," Natsu shrugs once towards Zeref.

"Natsu," Lucy says in a warning tone, but Natsu does nothing. "Let me go."

"No, I can't," Natsu refuses.

"Yes you can, damnit!", Lucy snaps.

"Nope," Natsu slugs Lucy over his shoulder. "I'm taking you far away from here."

"You're a fucking idiot!", Lucy screams as he runs away.

"What just happened?", Luke asks confused.

"They're your parents. How should I know?", Grisam mutters.

"I definitely see where you get your weird from," Storm tells Luke.

"At least my mother is saner than Juvia," Luke retorts.

"What's wrong with my mom?", Storm feels a vein popping.

"Other than the fact that she stalks everyone at the guild, well, let's think...", Luke trails off into fake thought.

"At least my dad isn't a total idiot who burns downs buildings for fun like his son," Storm grumbles.

"I don't burn down buildings!", Luke defends.

"Two weeks ago, we only got half the reward because you decided that a town didn't mind if it burned down," Storm sighs.

"Well, I'm not the one who strips everywhere he goes like a stripper!", Luke points to his lost clothes.

"Damnit... Where did I lose it?", Storm looked around.

"Stop this fighting," Erza says sternly.

"Yes ma'am," Storm and Luke say in unison.

Wendy scurries over to Nashi with her healing magic on her wound while the two mages argued.

"So?", Grisam asks impatiently.

"She'll be fine. It'll heal with time, but I was able to close the wound with my magic," Wendy assures.

"Thank you," Grisam forms a small smile which makes Wendy brighten up.

"She's my own guild member too. It wasn't a problem at all," Wendy smiles at him and walks over to Carla.

"My brother isn't one to think before his actions," Zeref speaks grabbing everyone's attention.

"I almost forgot you were here," Luke turns towards the dark wizard.

"I must fight someone," Zeref states says.

"How about I be your opponent?", Erza challenges.

"I've heard about you, the great Titania," Zeref muses. "I'm sure you may be up to par with me."

"I'm sure also," she nods.

"Come at me," Zeref speaks.

"Requip: Black Wing Armor," Erza's clothes transform into black armor with wings.

"Good choice," Zeref nods.

"Requip: Lightning Express Sword," a staff with two blades upon the top, forms into Erza's hand.

"Interesting," Zeref says.

In a flash, Erza slashes her sword through Zeref. In pure horror, her staff is shown to be split in half.

"I need purer light. One of the stars not of the light from the most destructive storms," Zeref says.

"Requip: Morning Star Armor," Erza announces.

Zeref smiles.

* * *

"Let me go, Natsu!", Lucy screeches at him.

He decides to finally listen to her and stares at her in her honest brown eyes.

"Lucy," said mage peers back at his onyx eyes wondering why they appeared so sad.

"What's wrong?", Lucy asks.

"Don't get mad," Natsu mumbles.

"Huh?", Lucy asks with sudden fear rushing through her.

"I need you to kill me," Natsu says in a serious tone.

Lucy smiles. "Enough with the jokes, tell me. What's wrong?"

Natsu frowns which causes Lucy's smile to fade. "No. You're joking."

"I'm-"

"Joking," Lucy finishes for him.

"Damnit, Lucy! Just listen to me!", Natsu yells.

"I am, but I think you're being delusional if you expect me to kill you," Lucy says with a shrug.

"I need you to," Natsu says. "Even if you don't, I will eventually die along with Nashi and Luke too. If you do, Nashi and Luke won't."

"Nashi and Luke will...", Lucy stares at the ground.

"That's why I need you to...", Natsu trails off.

"I still can't. I feel so selfish, but I need you, Natsu," Lucy looks up at him with unshed tears.

"Lucy..."

"I could never do it. I love you too much," Lucy feels a tear run down her cheek.

"If you do, do this for our family, for me," Natsu wipes the tear from her cheek.

"What will our family be without the dad? We both felt heartbroken when we lost our dads. Do you want them to feel the same?", Lucy sits on the ground feeling as if her legs couldn't stand to move.

"I do if it saves their lives," Natsu sighs and sits beside Lucy.

"What you're asking me to do is unthinkable," Lucy pulls closer to Natsu.

"I will do it myself if you don't," Natsu says.

Lucy shakes her head, "No, you won't."

Natsu frowns at that statement.

"I'm not saying that you're horrible for not. I'm just saying that you wouldn't be asking me to do it if you could," Lucy explains.

"I don't want to leave you, Lucy," Natsu picks up her right hand and kisses it tenderly.

"Then don't. We'll figure out a way," Lucy stares at her hand.

"You're right," Natsu grins with cheers Lucy up. "We will figure out a way."

"That's the spirit!", Lucy smiles.

"I'm all fired up!"

* * *

Erza sent light towards Zeref's chest, but his dark magic blocked the light.

"You're not very skilled with this armor, I see," Zeref states.

Erza doesn't respond and sends more pockets of light towards Zeref.

"Even if you succeed in my will, Natsu, Luke, and Nashi will fall too," he warns.

That sentence pauses Erza in her actions.

There's no way she could indirectly kill her comrades like so. As the master of the guild, it was her duty to protect each and everyone who bore the emblem of Fairy Tail.

"Master?", Luke asks.

Grisam looks back at the sleeping Nashi who looks so peaceful despite this traumatizing event.

"Do it," Luke looks over to Zeref who nods with understanding.

"Are you sure you want to continue with this?", Zeref asks.

"Anything to save Nashi," Luke nods with certainty.

"What is your idiot-self doing?", Storm demands.

Luke shakes his head and walks over to Zeref.

"I need your sister here too," Zeref looks at Grisam.

"What are you doing?", Grisam asks as he hesitantly carries Nashi over to the two.

"Something that will make Nashi mad," Luke answers.

"If you make Nashi cry-"

"I can't promise anything," Luke says.

Grisam frowns remembering when Nashi told him about what he did during the GMG.

"Luke," Erza says in a warning tone.

Zeref begins to release magic energy.

"Enchantment magic?", Wendy recognizes.

"What are his plans?", Erza asks.

"Wait...", a voice croaks out, but Zeref continues.

"Nashi?", Luke's eyes widen.

She gets up shakily off the ground and looks around. That extra magic made her dizzy, but she keeps her eyes focused and narrowed on Zeref. She places her hand out in front of her and shoots a yellow laser of light through Zeref's leg making him fall to the ground. "Don't even think about it."

"This is what I needed. The true pure light of the stars," Zeref's face forms a small smile which contorts as he grunts in the pain of his leg.

Nashi turns to Luke with a glare. "I know you're an idiot, but honestly, I'm wondering if you have brain cells at all."

Luke grumbles under his breath.

"I'm serious, Luke," Nashi gives the coldest look that Luke has ever seen. "Never do that again."

"A-Aye," Luke mumbles out.

* * *

Natsu drags Lucy behind him as he runs around the island. The celestial mage doesn't question his actions and decides to follow in slight curiosity. Despite his tendencies to be a very impulsive person, Lucy trusted that he wouldn't do anything too rational.

Being back on Tenrou Island brought back memories of the S-class trials. Lucy smiled at how Natsu still chose Happy to be his partner because the flying blue cat isn't strong in any offensive magic - except maybe words to Lucy. Lucy gave a sadder smile at how Kana was so upset on not winning the trials. Kana wondered why Makarov gave her so many chances because she always lost. Lucy believed it was ridiculous how the card mage assumed that Gildarts would be disappointed in her being his daughter, but she still decided to help her out. There was no way she'd let her friend quit the guild because of such a reason.

Natsu also bathed in the pool of memories. He remembered fighting against Gildarts during the S-class trials. The fight had him determined and set on winning, but in the end, his power was too much. The dragon slayer felt lame for crying in front of his role model at the time, but now, he takes it as a learning experience that fear doesn't make a person weak. Fear allows us all to understand our weaknesses and become a much kinder person.

That's why, right now, Natsu isn't afraid to admit that he's afraid. He's scared of his family (including all of Fairy Tail) being hurt or even worse. The pink haired mage takes a look at his partner who has a determined face set on finding a way to save her family too. He would do anything to keep her happiness with her, so even though he's scared, he doesn't care. Sometimes in order to be brave, we must all endure our fears and pull through.

"I'm terrified," Lucy admits very quietly that Natsu almost didn't catch the sound from her lips.

"Me too," Natsu says.

Lucy's face somehow seems to grow more with encouragement. Many times, Natsu has kept these opinions to himself in order to appear stronger, but with him saying those two words, it made him look stronger than before. Bravery doesn't mean you're not fearful. No, bravery means that you don't let fear hold you back. Lucy could easily describe her partner as _brave_.

Natsu tugs on her right hand and rubs the back of it with the Fairy Tail emblem. Lucy realizes that Natsu is wordlessly telling her that _we are members of Fairy Tail_. Fairy Tail has a reputation to keep up, and if we give up, that also mean giving up on everything we live by.

Because the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.


	11. Chapter 11

**11**

* * *

Nashi frowns at Luke's decisions. If she didn't wake up, he might be gone. Her brother makes too many reckless choices that will cost him a lot in the immediate future. Well, she sometimes does too- BUT that's not the point! Luke needed some sense in this dire time.

A wave of air passes through Nashi's nose causing a certain smell to calm her down. She turns to Grisam who's sporting an expression of anger, concern, and relief mixed onto his face. How could she have forgotten about Grisam? He came with her dad to help save her.

"Hey, Grisam," she grins trying to lighten up the mood. "Nice to see you're okay." Nashi doesn't notice the way Grisam's fist clenches.

Luke raises a brow in questioning at how quickly Nashi's mood changed by just simply looking at her new friend. He supposed they became very close over a few days of training with each other.

"Don't pull crazy stunts like that ever again," Grisam grumbles to her.

"Yeah, yeah," Nashi waves off before turning to Zeref who seems slightly amused at the young Dragneel. "So I'm supposed to fight you?"

"You're only the one who can _and_ win," Zeref answers with a more serious expression.

Maybe she didn't know how to use this new power or how to use magic at all, and maybe she wasn't thinking about the outcomes that would happen once the dark wizard was defeated. But Nashi doesn't care about what she thinks because sometimes, her thinking is what gets in the way. Right now, she's focused on her gut feeling. And her gut feeling is telling her to win this fight for Fairy Tail.

Her fist lights up with her passion and travels its way directly to Zeref.

Erza watched with amazement as her "niece" shoved Zeref straight through two trees with her intense power. Not even her, herself, was strong as that at her age. Mixed with the fact that she now gained this power without experience, it was truly impressive. That's when she sensed it with a smile on her face. _He_ was giving her power.

"Makarov," Erza whispers to herself as she watches the light of not just the stars but of Fairy Tail. She almost tears up at how her old master is still there in soul.

"Remind me to never get on her bad side," Storm mumbles to Luke who's smirking with pride at his younger sister.

Grisam watches as Nashi pounds Zeref into the ground. From the training he did for Nashi, he knew she'd become a whole different person when in her element. Now, the happy-go spontaneous person he knew was replaced with a powerful 4th generation dragon slayer prepared to defeat any enemy in its path.

Zeref coughs out blood, "This... *breath* power..."

"Don't ever mess with Fairy Tail again!", Nashi yells as she collides a foot in his stomach making him fly out in the sky and land harshly on the ground.

Nashi follows the path he went only to find in pure horror that he doesn't have a scratch in sight. What happened to his injuries that Nashi inflicted on him a few seconds ago?

"I regenerate," Zeref explains her questionable thoughts. "Time for my turn." He blasts dark magic into Nashi's stomach, and she goes flying into the air similar to him before.

"Nashi!", Luke and Grisam yell in unison. Erza rushes into the fight with a sword of light by her side.

"You cannot defeat me," Zeref states.

"I know," Erza nods, "but I can protect the guild," she swings a sword at her enemy.

Again, the sword is split in half. Erza equips another sword which she almost swings again with, but a hand on her shoulder stops her.

"Master, I've got this," Nashi gets up shakily behind Erza.

"But Nashi-"

"Please, Master," Nashi looks up at Erza who simply nods with a small sigh.

"You might as well finish what you started," Erza steps away to let her pass through.

"Aye."

* * *

Natsu and Lucy continue their way through the woods.

"We won't get anywhere if we don't know where to go," Lucy says after a few long boring minutes of walking.

Natsu pauses to think. Though, thinking has never been his forte.

 _..._

 _..._

 _An idea? No, wait-_

 _..._

 _Damnit! I lost it_

 _..._

Natsu sighs and shrugs, "My mind is blank."

"It always is," Lucy mutters to herself.

"I heard that!", Natsu yells at her.

"Sorry," Lucy apologizes, "I'm just not in the greatest mood."

Natsu studies Lucy's concerned features for a moment before looking up at the sky. No, he definitely had an idea, but it was as if his brain were blocked. He could remember it if someone were to just say it to him...

Lucy opened her mouth to speak but was stopped when her partner held up his index finger telling her to wait a moment. She supposed that he had the answer, but it was fighting him. She believed that we would be able to help the guild and save the future. For that reason, she poked out her own index finger and thumb to place it on the right side of her chest. She wasn't so sure why she did the action, but she was glad she did.

The fire dragon slayer moves his attention to Lucy who has the Fairy Tail symbol over her heart.

 _Lucy's weird. But..._ Fairy Tail...

That's when he grins. "I got it!"

"Huh?"

"I know how to get rid of Zeref!", Natsu shakes Lucy's shoulders enthusiastically causing her to laugh at his antics.

"I knew you'd pull the answer right out of you," Lucy smiles.

Natsu's smile broadened at her praise.

"Lead the way," Lucy commands.

The duo started their ways towards another direction they hadn't gone before. Lucy would've been cautious if Natsu weren't there with her. She trusted that he'd be able to keep her safe, but even so, it didn't help calm her nerves. What if something were to happen to Natsu? Would she be able to save him in a time of need?

Natsu notices the way she tenses up, and because he has no way with words, he squeezes her hand in reassurance. Lucy squeezes back to show that she's fine, and they continue on normally.

It was certainly strange how over the years, they've gotten very close to each other. So close, in fact, that they might as well almost be one person. Of course, they were different in some ways - with Lucy being more mature and logical and Natsu being stupidly brave, but their differences made them mold together just a _smidge_ better. The two began their own family with moments such as when their son and daughter would always threaten to throw up in the presence of them being lovey-dovey, or when Natsu, Luke, and Nashi managed to destroy Thanksgiving dinner at home - despite it taking a certain blonde mage a couple hours to make - and make their own dinner for Lucy as an apology. Every day, every single trial and error, every good morning kiss or now-because-I-feel-like-it kiss, Lucy and Natsu loved each other and trusted each other with their lives.

Lucy found it simply unique, their relationship. Sure, it was normal "best friends" then "lover" turn of events, but it was _more_. One would think without any context that they'd be incompatible separate, but after watching the two together, now that's a different story. The celestial mage will forever be thankful to the person who gave her a dream come true of Fairy Tail. So far, she's been on more adventures than she could count because of him.

Natsu was certainly dense when it came to love. He did feel love, but he didn't know what it was. When he was younger, he thought it was normal to like a person's presence as much as he liked Happy's and Lucy's. Yes, at first he did think she was weird, but she was also kind which made him even more curious about her. Natsu found it strange how grateful she was about the love charm interruption to buy him food. Both Happy and he perhaps felt even more grateful to Lucy for the food than her. Then after Lucy joined the guild, Fairy Tail changed tremendously, in a good way. It's hard for Natsu to imagine a world without his partner.

But again, Natsu was still dense when he was younger. In fact, Natsu remembers the time when Lucy finally confessed her love and believed that Natsu was talking about another type of love.

 _"Mira!", Natsu greeted as soon as he barged into the guild._

 _Mira turned with a friendly smile on her face as always. "Hi, Natsu."_

 _"Do you have any idea where Lucy could be?", he asks not bothering to beat around the bush... since there was no bush. Natsu quickly checked to see and nodded to himself. Yup, definitely not a bush in the guild._

 _"She picked a job earlier this morning. It's certainly strange that she didn't tell you about her going solo," Mira frowns in confusion. "Are you two fighting?"_

 _"No," Natsu shakes his head before pausing to think, "Wait- Are we?" That causes Mira to sigh._

 _Happy flies in panting on Natsu's head._

 _"Why didn't you wait for me?!", Happy yells at Natsu._

 _"Sorry," Natsu offers a sheepish smile, "I thought Lucy was in trouble or somethin' since she wasn't in her apartment."_

 _"Where is she?", Happy asks._

 _"Mira said she's on a solo job," Natsu frowns._

 _"Huh? Why would she go without us? We're her partners," Happy copies Natsu's expression._

 _"Maybe she was just in a hurry to get her rent money," Mira suggests._

 _Natsu shakes his head, "No, she paid rent last week."_

 _Mira merely shrugs in response showing she has no clue._

 _"Where's her job?", Natsu asks._

 _"I'm not sure I should tell you. Lucy wouldn't appreciate you interfering with her job," Mira points out._

 _"But what if she's in danger? I can't help her if I don't know where she is!", Natsu explains._

 _"Or...", Mira drags out to help her fellow guildmate a break from Natsu. Lucy didn't seem in the best of moods that morning, "Maybe she's okay and wants to try doing something on her own for once."_

 _Natsu slumps over in his chair. "Okay..."_

 _"Can I have a fish?", Happy asks._

Natsu chuckles silently as he recalls the memories of him worrying over Lucy for nothing. Lucy is strong and can take care of herself. He would know that more than anyone else, but still, he wanted to make sure his Lucy was safe from harm's way.

 _About a week later was when Lucy returned, and as usual, Natsu decided to sneak into her apartment to write on her face. He had asked Happy to come along, but his friend wanted to stay home and sleep._ _He kept a stealthy pace to the balcony and waited outside the window with his scarf wrapped around his head. "Gotta be like a ninja. Nin, nin."_

 _He opened the unsurprisingly unlocked window - Lucy definitely will be robbed one day if she always forgets to lock the window - and jumps silently inside her room. He finds that her room smells of saltiness mixed with Lucy's usual scent of... Lucy? He didn't really know how to explain her scent. It was so pretty and unique, though... He'll just call it Lucy scent. She smells like Lucy._

 _He frowns because of that other scent. "Lucy?" The room was dark, only lit by the light of the half-moon outside and few apparent stars, but he could still see Lucy's head clearly which poked out from the bed sheets. She was cuddled up underneath the sheets, and Natsu could notice the shivering from probably it being mid-winter at the time._

 _Said mage twitches at the mention of her name before pausing and grabbing onto the bed sheets tighter. Out of all the people who liked to break into her home, it had to be_ him _that night?_

 _That's when Natsu heard a sniff and knew his partner was crying. "Luce, what's wrong?"_

 _Natsu walks over to her bedside causing Lucy to shuffle deeper into the sheets and pillow to hide her face. The dragon slayer sighs because he'd wish that Lucy would just talk to him. "Lucyyyy...", Natsu drags out childishly._

 _Lucy refused to open her mouth not trusting her voice. There's no way she'd risk humiliating herself more than before. If Natsu would leave, everything would be so much easier._

 _"If you don't tell me what's wrong, I'll force it out of ya," Natsu says in a slightly mischievous tone making Lucy nervous._

 _But being the stubborn person she is, she doesn't make a peep._

 _"Fine, have it your way," Natsu grins before reaching out his hands to tickle his victim._

 _Lucy bursts out laughing in response._

 _"Okay! Okay!", Lucy says desperately._

 _"Okay what?", Natsu asks innocently._

 _"I-I'll tell you," Lucy says making his hands disappear._

 _Natsu stares at Lucy while waiting for her answer which makes it more nerve wrecking for Lucy._

 _Natsu frowns. What would be the reason she's so upset?_

 _"I'm upset because...", Lucy trails off, but Natsu waits patiently which is a very un-Natsu thing to do. "Um... I- You...", Lucy pauses again._

 _"Me?", Natsu tilts his head in confusion._

 _"Yeah,_ you _uh said something that may have upset me," Lucy admits while looking to the side._

 _Natsu's eyes widen. "I'm sorry, Lucy! I didn't mean to make you cry about whatever I said!", Natsu hugs her which surprises Lucy._

 _"I know you didn't- uh I was just being stupid," Lucy shook her head._

 _"So what did I say?", Natsu asks as he backs away from her._

 _"Eh?", Lucy raises a brow._

 _"I wanna know so that I'll never say it again," Natsu explains._

 _"You...", Lucy tries to think of a lie, "You called me fat."_

 _"But you usually never cry at that," Natsu frowns in confusion. Lucy was surely acting weird... Well, she's always weird, but that day, it was weird_ er _._

 _"I was extra emotional because I'm PMSing," Lucy nods._

 _"No, that was two weeks ago, and you don't smell like blood," Natsu shakes his head at her excuse._

 _Lucy cringes at the realization that Natsu can smell that._

 _"Tell me the real reason," Natsu says._

 _"You called me your best friend," Lucy answers._

 _"But we are best friends," Natsu frowns. Did Lucy not want to be his best friend anymore?_

 _"I know but I don't-", Lucy stops abruptly and sighs. "See? I told you that I was being stupid. Now that you know, you can leave." Lucy gets out of her bed and tries to push Natsu to the window be he's like a brick wall._

 _"So you don't want to be friends anymore?", Natsu asks and makes a small sniff himself._

 _Lucy's eyes widen. Was Natsu now crying because of her?_

 _Natsu didn't understand why, but thinking about the fact that Lucy didn't want to be his friend anymore wounded him deeply. Happy and she were the two closest to him at the guild, and losing Lucy would be losing a vital part of the team. He didn't want her to go. He hated when he believed she left forever to her dad. He hated when future Lucy died. And now, he can't stand the thought of her leaving him._

 _"No!', Lucy quickly hissed at him which made Natsu relieved. "That upset me because I want-", she cuts herself off._

 _"What do you want?", Natsu asks. "If it's fish, we can go fishing some time with Happy."_

 _"I don't want fish!", Lucy cries out at how hard it seemed to come out with the truth._

 _"Do you need more money? I have a bunch of money that you can use y'know," Natsu said._

 _"You don't just offer money to people like that," Lucy facepalms._

 _"Well, what do you want?", Natsu's eyebrows scrunch up while thinking._

 _"I want_ more _," Lucy whispers but Natsu still catches the voice._

 _"More what?"_

 _Lucy sighs. She forgot about how dense Natsu was._

 _"Agh!", Lucy snaps with her inner frustration. "I love you, okay! I want us to be more than just friends!"_

 _"I love you too," Natsu smiles._

 _"No, it's love, love. You don't love me like I love you," Lucy senses round two swelling up in her eyes._

 _"I don't?", Natsu questions. "I mean, I don't really know these things, but all I know is that I don't care what we are as long as you get to be by my side forever." Natsu shows his pearly white canines._

Natsu remembers how at the time, he did love her but didn't understand the full meaning. After that, they still continued to stay as best friends because Lucy didn't know if Natsu knew his true feelings. It was hard at first, but Lucy was relieved when after time everything stayed the same. If Natsu could be Natsu, Lucy could be Lucy.

But there was still a problem to Lucy. Again, she couldn't stand being just friends with her partner, but Natsu is dense in that subject. The only thing he knows is food and fighting. It took until during his training for a year after Fairy Tail disbanded to understand more thanks to Gildarts.

 _Natsu grinned at Gildarts and Happy, and he all sat around the fire eating some fish that Natsu almost burned and Happy wanted to keep raw. He'd been having a great day because he was able to see his role model again. It had been a while since the guild saw Gildarts. Natsu felt bad for leaving everyone, and he missed them too. But he needed to get his mind in the clear. He wanted to become stronger for them and kill E.N.D. Because Igneel couldn't defeat the monster, that meant that the dragon slayer had a lot of work to do._

 _"So Natsu, we haven't talked that much yet," Gildarts starts by referring to their fighting so far._

 _"He was too busy being knocked out unconscious by you," Happy laughs._

 _"No, I wasn't!", Natsu protested with a pout._

 _"I heard you snoring from a mile away," Gildarts grins._

 _"Shut up!", Natsu narrows his eyes._

 _Gildarts chuckles at his almost-son before sobering down. "So why did you leave Magnolia?"_

 _Natsu frowns before lighting up again by saying, "To train so I'm stronger than you," with his infamous grin._

 _"I'm sure you can do it," Gildarts says which makes Natsu's smile widen. "How long should you be gone?"_

 _"A year," Natsu says. "I'll need to do some stuff."_

 _"I see," Gildarts nods while slowly looking around. "I'm surprised you didn't bring Lucy with you."_

 _Natsu tenses up at the name._

 _Lucy_

 _He missed her so much just like everyone else in the guild. It's been different without her. Usually, he'd have her directing him in the right direction. Now, he only had Happy for that who didn't do such a great job with the fish incident as an example._

 _"Hm?", Natsu takes a bite out of his fish to avoid talking about her._

 _But it didn't work._

 _"She's always there with you, so I just assumed she was around here. But I guess you really did leave without her. Did she not want to come?", Gildarts asks._

 _Natsu shrugs._

 _Gildarts makes a scowl. "Don't avoid my questions."_

 _Natsu sighs. "I don't know if she wanted to come. I just wanted to train alone."_

 _"But Happy's with you," Gildarts points out the sleeping Happy who got bored and decided to snooze._

 _"That's different. I could never abandon him," Natsu looks at Happy._

 _"So you would abandon Lucy... Well, you already did," Gildarts sighed. "I might end up losing my bet now..."_

 _"Bet?", Natsu asks._

 _"Don't get off topic!", Gildarts says._

 _"I'm sure Lucy is fine. I gave her a note telling her," Natsu says with a nod._

 _"Idiot," Gildarts mutters._

 _"I heard that!"_

 _"A note? A single note?", Gildarts asked angrily._

 _"I thought it'd be better since she likes to write and stuff," Natsu shrugs._

 _Gildarts sighs trying to blow off some steam. There was no use with this dense person._

 _"I heard from Kana that Lucy confessed to you," Gildarts says._

 _"Confessed?", Natsu tilts his head at the word._

 _"She told you that she loves you," Gildarts says._

 _"And I told her that I love her too," Natsu grins._

 _Gildarts's eyes widen. Are they already feeling each other up? Maybe he can win the bet!_

 _"So is she good?", Gildarts asks with a perverted grin._

 _"Good at what?", Natsu asks._

 _"Nevermind," Gildarts discards the question. "So what happened afterward?"_

 _"Lucy told me that I don't love her the way she does. Whatever that means," he shrugs._

 _"Listen, Natsu," Gildarts sighs. "There's gonna come a time when you finally realize this thing you have towards that girl. You gotta make sure it's soon or else Lucy may give up on you."_

Natsu frowns at the memory of him leaving Lucy. When he came back, Lucy's usual glow had dimmed. It didn't leave, but it dimmed. Of course, Natsu's heart skipped a beat when her glow came back stronger at the sight of Happy and him. He had come back to fight Fairy Tail, but all he got was disappointment. He remembered how strange it was for Lucy to be at the arena by herself rather than the guild, but Natsu shrugged off the feeling convincing himself that Lucy is weird.

When he was informed of the disbandment of Fairy Tail, Natsu felt as if a train had run over him. His stomach churned with a fire of anger. How could Fairy Tail have done that to Lucy and them? But then it made sense about why Lucy seemed so down than normal. Her smile was strained and not genuine. Now it was worse when Lucy later mentioned how she felt about the note after him getting angry at Gray for leaving. It was as if Lucy had slapped him. Lucy is definitely stronger than she shows with her slaps and 'Lucy kicks'.

But after the war, Natsu was left off feeling different towards Lucy. He was so confused. He gained these... _desires_ from looking at Lucy. The way her hips moved when she walked, the way her hair would flip when she turned, the way her body felt while hugging her... He couldn't figure it out. He became frustrated and more irritated every day. He even tried asking his guildmates for advice which resulted in him becoming even more confused. Their advice was 'Be gentle for her first time, Flamebrain', and 'TREAT HER LIKE THE MAN SHE IS!' Some even high fived him for reaching some milestone that Natsu didn't know about.

When he couldn't gain answers, he asked Lucy herself who slapped him and called him "Pervert!"

 _It had been three days since Natsu told Lucy about his problem. Lucy had purposely ignored him even though she missed him. In all honesty, she had not stopped loving Natsu. She cursed that fact that it has only grown stronger. She tried to stop these feelings inside of her after he left, but she couldn't._

 _When Natsu told her, she blushed and slapped him in instinct. She didn't know why she reacted that way. Natsu was truthfully confused and talking to her about it while others were actual perverts and did much worse things than that._

 _She supposed it was because it was_ Natsu _and not anyone else. Maybe that made her nervous? She already told Natsu how she felt while he was there asking her why he felt weird whenever he saw her. That's when Lucy realized that maybe Natsu needed to be shown how she felt. Natsu thinks with actions and feelings, not with his brain. He doesn't overthink things unless they're greatly affecting him. His mind is always in the present._

 _Lucy stopped from her 'writing' - she was just thinking about Natsu the whole time - and decided to stop ignoring the person who needed her the most at the moment. She dressed in her usual clothing consisting of a sleeveless blue vest with a separate black sleeve on her left arm, a white skirt with a white belt along with her keys, and brown boots. She keeps her long hair in a ponytail - she's been thinking about cutting it for awhile - with a blue ribbon and decides she's ready to go to the guild._

 _At the guild, she opens the door with a determined look glued to her face. Some people notice the look and raise a brow at the guild's cheerleader. Lucy scans the area for any signs of pink hair or a flying Happy. She grins when she does spot Natsu slouching over the bar. Happy taps his shoulder at Lucy walks up to him causing Natsu to turn around with a confused expression._

 _Natsu had been feeling horrible since those three days ago. Lucy had been ignoring him leaving him feeling guilty. Was it wrong of him to ask Lucy about those things? He had no clue._

 _Natsu immediately opened his mouth to apologize, "Lucy! I'm sorry! I didn't know- oh..."_

 _Lucy had pulled in for a kiss not knowing what to expect. She wasn't experienced and neither was him, so the kiss seemed a bit off to Lucy, but she still followed through and ended up enjoying it._

 _Once the break for air happened, Lucy said, "I know I've already said this, but I love you. Just forget about how I reacted. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so rude to not answer your question. I was being stupid-"_

 _"I feel dizzy," Natsu said._

 _Lucy smiled._

These thoughts rush into Natsu's brain making him grin at the memories. He has definitely matured more now as husband and father.

A certain voice brings him out of his thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?", Lucy asks curiously.

"You," Natsu answers.

"Well, stop thinking about me and focus on the task at hand before you crash into a tree," Lucy says.

"What?!", Natsu quickly stops and looks around for any tree in front of him. He pouts when there isn't. "Now you just made me look like an idiot in front of you."

"You always act like an idiot in front of me," Lucy laughs which makes Natsu mutter under his breath. "But that's okay because I like idiots." She leans over to kiss his cheek.

"As if you could call that a real kiss," Natsu grins and leans in to give his definition of a 'real kiss', but Lucy pushes him away.

"No, we need to focus, and we don't need any more kids than we already have," Lucy says.

Natsu frowns. "When we got married, I thought you agreed to have 33 babies with me."

"I DON'T REMEMBER EVER AGREEING TO THAT!"

* * *

 _ **Sorry it took a little while to post this chapter. I've been surrounded with tests, and yesterday, I got to see a TØP concert ASDFGHJKL IT WAS AWESOMEEE! Sorry, I'm just still hyped about it all and everything.**_

 _ **I hope you don't mind this being pretty much NaLu. I just wanted to give a bit of detail on how Lucy and Natsu stopped being so dense and got together to make Lucy pop out two kids. (I feel disturbed that I used that phrase.) This chapter still doesn't explain it all, but maybe it'll be explained in the future. At the moment, I don't know. I'm just going with the flow because I tried planning out and it turned out being more difficult.**_

 _ **I can't believe that we're already at ELEVEN chapters! This has become my favorite story to write so far. Thanks for all the kind reviews, they inspire me to continue writing because I have motivational issues, and I hope that I can continue making stories you enjoy.**_

 _ **~ Sarah (With the H. Never forget it.)**_


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